Reverse

A postcard of a suited female mannequin photographed from behind was my starting point for this project. The 1940's style fashion reminded me of my grandmothers wardrobe. I re-photographed and framed the image in reverse revealing the inside of the frame. I made 100 photocopies of this picture and its frame in red ink and pressed each print with an iron. 

I thought of my grandfathers in Changi Prison in Singapore during the second world war. He was an Australian soldier captured by the Japanese. His story was communicated to me by conversations with my mother across an ironing board during my childhood. He did not come back from the war. I thought of my  mother's tears and of her anguish. 

The work was installed in Dean Road Prison Sheffield as part of the Prison Drawing Project