‘The Other Side of a Mirror’ (1999)
7x7.5cm Black & white fibre-based photograph encased within a 11x11x2.5cm acrylic cube (35 in series)

'The Other Side of a Mirror' depicts a derelict room, hidden behind closed doors and discovered through female curiosity, like the secret chamber in Bluebeard's Castle. Influenced by authors such as Charlotte Bronte, Virginia Woolf, Angela Carter and Lewis Carroll, the narrative is recalled through a series of fragmented snapshot images, contextualised by the accompanying literary quotations.

Within a room of their own, two figures can be seen acting out parts in a game of role play, where gender distinctions become blurred through the literal 'masking' of appearance and behaviour. The omnipresence of the mirror confuses the difference between appearance and reality, yet subtlety reflects the continuing playful struggle of identity between the visible socially acceptable facade and the secret self within.

The sense of voyeurism incurred by watching the action within this derelict room is heightened by the miniature size of the photographs which are displayed as objects, encased in acrylic cubes and balanced on shelves placed at different heights on the gallery wall. Therefore, the viewer has to make a considered effort to peer up or bend down in order to view the images, so that the play with scale confuses the audience's perception, just as Alice experienced in her adventures through the looking glass.

Exhibition History: