I remember as a child being read stories such as ‘The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and wishing I could have the same fantastic adventures as Alice and Dorothy. I wanted to be taken on a journey and experience changes in size, talking animals and hidden doorways to new and exciting words.

With all these early influences at childhood I have been drawn back to re-read these tales of wonder and astonishment and I find myself looking at them in a very different light. The child stealers, night raiders, and cradle snatchers which are apparent in so many stories inspire a rich and sinister body of work. One tale in particular is ‘The Red Shoes’ by Hans Christian Andersen which was the inspiration for one of my pieces The Red Shoes. Here I am concerned with exploring and portraying the sometimes sinister and sometimes amazing side of the tale, I hope to hold the viewer’s attention as though one is bound by a spell. In other works I have used video and sculpture to produce work that both fascinates and repels as I respond to the extremes of emotion common in many Fairy Tales. I hope to lead the viewer on a journey from the depths of fear to the highest peak of pleasure.

I have also been developing the concept in my work of threatening spaces. Underpasses, ill-lit corridors, passageways, and alleyways and the fantasies needed to escape the fear of these confined spaces have been a driving force and inspiration.