idelett de la bat
homecoming
iron stone, tumbleweeds, twine, gravel and recycled plastic
dimensions variable
artist statement
In 2020 people worldwide were forced to stay home because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This resulted in a global surge in domestic violence rendering especially children vulnerable. The effect of this abuse can echo into adulthood.
From personal experience and studies in the field of psychology I have learned that the natural child has inward dependency needs. Different traumatic experiences can cause an outward focus in order to survive. This disrupts the ability to cultivate self-esteem that grounds existence. The harmed natural child goes into hiding. On an unconscious level a surface persona precariously navigates the world and causes an incongruence.
I spent my childhood on a farm in the Karoo. To bring the concept home I juxtaposed two local elements, the tumbleweed (the uprooted, surface self) and the iron stone (the stable, natural self) against each other. Growing up my mother regularly knitted with yarn she made from sheep wool and my dad weaved carpets. With this in mind the iron stone is transformed within the “yarn bombing” tradition in an attempt to reclaim my natural child.
To transcend present awareness as well as memories, is an uncharted and evolving process of combining fragments to restore flair. When you recycle you convert what is harmful (plastic) into something of use to initiate change in the natural environment. Correspondingly I attempt to integrate a harmed self-esteem and now, when the natural child occasionally comes out of hiding, it feels like a homecoming.
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2 comments
I see the timelessness in this heart&mind opening art piece. I see welcoming open ended short race tract’s, inviting me to start a journey home anytime knowing there is no start or finish , life’s timeless race!
“The natural child goes into hiding”. I call the process:" reclaiming the wonder child".I love how you call it “homecoming”, because that’s exactly it: to come home to the self you always were.