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Coping Mechanism: to test emotional responses
Coping Mechanism: to test emotional responses
Coping Mechanism: to test emotional responses

Coping Mechanism: to test emotional responses

Maker (Manchester, born 1982)
Date2021
Object NameSculpture
Mediumglass, magpie feathers
ClassificationsSculptures
DimensionsOverall (Height x Width x Depth): 380 × 520 × 60mm
AcquisitionPurchased in 2023 with assistance from the National Fund for Acquisitions, Art Fund and Aberdeen Art Gallery Trusts.
Copyright© Vicky Higginson
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS095714.1
About MeVicky Higginson was one of six successful artists commissioned by Jerwood Art Fund Makers Open (JAFMO) to make new work.

For her JAFMO commission, Higginson created Coping Mechanisms which is a series of glass healing devices that draw on folklore, mythology and medical history to imagine ways to treat emotional ailments.

The designs were inspired by historic medical instruments, in this case a reflex hammer to test emotional responses.

Feathers, mirrors and mark-making techniques reoccur throughout the work, referencing the symbolic presence of these in both fairy tales and rituals across the globe, often as a way to connect to other worlds or to see things differently.