Jilly Topping
Liveness 2020 (Archive)
Mr White lived in the house before us with his family for more than 60 years. During lockdown my daughters and I dug the earth and planted seeds in the garden. We began mud larking while we worked on the soil. The process unearthed ‘treasures’ which we collect as mementos of Mr White’s past life. These ‘finds’ were loving cleaning and mounted onto one of his fence panels. The once lost items are being given their time again. A tribute to Mr White’s life.
Mr White’s Garden (2020): Sculpture; wood, metal, plastic, glass, ceramics, clay and formica.
While exploring ideas around disability, shame and surgery I focused on my own disability, Scoliosis. I wanted to explore honesty, pain and how this can still be beautiful. I used a ‘body’ of clay to create my own torso shape with my spinal curve bold and clear. Once fired I decorated each back with knowledge from my past. The left hand one is showing my post-surgery pain and measurements and the middle one is inspired by an Ivy pattern from a ceramic shard I found in the Thames. The right hand one shows cities I have lived (London, Manchester and Perth, Australia).
My Scoliosis (2019): Ceramic sculptures, each one approx. 10 cm x 16 cms
These paintings were inspired by bone graft images done during my Scoliosis correction surgery. I created these artworks in bold sweeping movements using bone coloured paint, greys, blacks and a pop of colour. I had hidden my disability for a long time and the idea of using self-exploration with bold colours and a large format was a cathartic process.
Bone Grafts II, Triptych (2019): Acrylic on paper with silver leaf, each one 53cm x 73 cm