| Artist Statement The current ‘Beautiful and Damned’ explores the very beginning of the film era, silent movies and the roaring twenties. The emergence of cinema at a time of economic upheaval of the 1920s and the depression saw a generation of cinema-goers seeking escapism, idols and hope. In a similar way to nowadays, in times of uncertainty, watching a film and suspending disbelief is a way out, and a way to plug in to a new reality. The new movies stars in the Jazz Age were as F. Scott Fitzgerald described them, both “beautiful and damned”. Appearing glossy and carefree, attending speak easies, holding lavish parties and dabbling in the new hobbies of drinking in the prohibition times, smoking and dancing. But the new wealth in Hollywood had its dangers, and lives in the spotlight were often short. Suicide rates were high amongst the new rich actresses, and stars like Lupe Velez famously drowned in her toilet, Olive Thomas, ‘the original flapper’ died of a mercury overdose, Carole Lombard died in a plane crash and Peg Entwistle jumped off the H in Hollywood. The tragedy amongst the beauty is what has inspired this series, the sharp contrast between a blessed life and one that ends in scandal, hedonism or destitution. Some figures of the Jazz Age such as Josephine Baker and Kid Ory, lived long and full lives, and some are pioneers like Charles Lindberg and Amelia Earhart, a homage to the machine age and new adventurous pursuits of flying solo across the Atlantic. For the Beautiful and Damned series, the artist uses found materials from the 1920s and 1930s, utilising antiques for the first time. Each piece is deconstructed, dyed, and bleached many times until a portrait emerges from the cloth. Rather than add pigment, Glew takes away the pigments in layers, creating ghostly figures, which appear almost woven into the cloth. Antique ‘crewel work’ from the 1930s, and zigzag 1920s handmade quilt are all used in a similar way to the ‘flag series’ but in this series the materials are the oldest and most precious that the artist has ever used. Antique botanical fabrics have their own evocative prints and patterns, which are deconstructed, dyed and bleached to make something unexpectedly modern.  File Download: beautiful-and-damned-stat.doc |
