Tessa Allen
'Mahhava Bence Kalmar wrote that ‘stone is one of the most ancient materials of the Earth’. Taking this idea, my work utilizes stone as a metaphorical tool to communicate a link to an ancient myth. My practice is focused on creating a visual interpretation of Medusa’s curse, whereby she turned any living thing into stone with one glance. I wish to evoke a sense of the power and intrigue that myths can continue to impart within contemporary culture. Positioning myself as Medusa, I use the images of those who make up my identity in combination with the material connected to this mythological tale to begin to suggest the barriers between the physical and the psychological. The work sets out to encapsulate our fears of the unknown and to stage the possibility that Medusa may live independently from the myth.’