Natalie Perrin, Liminality (ART 2022)

The term liminality has been used to describe the paths we navigate when faced with life events. These are times when we are in a metaphorical waiting room between one life stage and another. My folio explores the emotions felt while being part of the world’s most locked down city. It seeks to represent the emotions arising from the state of liminality COVID-19 produced. Melbourne is an incredible city and I know we can come out of our hibernation and enjoy being free and feeling alive again – enjoying all the city has to offer. However, in the meantime, we have faced myriad emotions, often coming out of nowhere and surprising in their intensity. Emotions felt during this time for me have included; hope, anger, sadness, resignation, anxiety, uncertainty, feelings of being trapped, feelings of repetition and the circle back to hope. My folio explores floral still-life’s conveying some of the emotions felt during the pandemic lockdown period. The symbolism of flowers and their use in still lives have been used in ancient art and this has continued through the ages. I hope this body of work creatively explores the pandemic emotions and provides the viewer with a sense of the emotional turmoil we experienced during lockdowns. It is a way of personally processing and commemorating this ‘unprecedented time’ in a creative, positive way. I have used the ice within my technique as it is reminiscent of the times we are in – completely random and unpredictable, locked in and frozen. The randomness of ice cracking also appeals to the unknown of which emotions are going to bubble to surface next.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.