Coping Mechanism: to numb grief
MakerMade by
Vicky Higginson
(Manchester, born 1982)
Date2021
Object NameSculpture
Mediumglass, magpie and guinea fowl feathers, plastic tubing.
ClassificationsSculptures
DimensionsOverall (Height x Width x Depth): 430 × 400 × 300mm
AcquisitionPurchased in 2023 with assistance from the National Fund for Acquisitions, Art Fund and Aberdeen Art Gallery Trusts.
Copyright© Vicky Higginson
LocationOn Display - Gallery 05
Object numberABDMS095714.2
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 an inhaler to numb grief.
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.
James Cromar Watt
Qing Dynasty, Daoguang Period (early 19th Century)
Kuang-Hsu Dynasty, 1875-1908
Qing Dynasty, 19th century
Ming Dynasty, 16th - 17th century
James Cromar Watt
Qing Dynasty, late 19th century
