Highly Sprung
Artist
Julia Douglas
(Edinburgh, Scotland, born 1971)
Datec.2001
Mediumwood and metal (12,500 clothes pegs)
ClassificationsSculptures
DimensionsApproximately: Diameter 270cm
AcquisitionPresented in 2010 by the artist.
Copyright© Julia Douglas
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDAG017326
About MeJulia Douglas is a mixed media visual artist based near Edinburgh. A constant inspiration for her work is the home and the relationship people have with the objects they put in their homes. She makes art by exploring seemingly trivial household objects and remakes these by playfully transforming them, often using them as surrogates for the owner’s body and consequently drawing attention to their significance in helping to tell a story about the inhabitants’ life and the culture in which they lived. This work forms the shape of a dress and was made from the springs found inside clothes pegs as a reference to the tradition of laundry being 'woman's work'. 12,500 clothes pegs were used in the construction, all of which had to be broken and the springs linked together. The process took many hours, was monotonously repetitive and hard on the hands, much like doing the laundry used to be. First exhibited in 2001 at Peacock Visual Arts in Aberdeen, this work drew a huge amount of attention when included in the 2008 Visual Art Scotland annual exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy when it was awarded the Russell Trust Prize.
More About Me
Attempts to fix the gender pay gap in the workplace are ongoing, but in the home, women often still do the majority of the housework when living with a male partner.
