Spell
spell: an indeterminate, period of time / a continuous course or period of work or other activity / a word or phrase supposed to have magic power; charm; incantation / a state or period of enchantment / to name, write, or otherwise give the letters
The works reflect on time passing, and contain her lists, clippings from her children's first hair cuts, flowers grown in her garden, ash from work burnt in her studio, cobwebs spun in the studio whilst she made the work and dust swept from the studio floor, all ingredients one might put in a witch's spell to conjure the past, future or something supernatural. Spells themselves are often lists. The large scale implicitly declares the universality of these themes of time passing, family, work, everyday chores, the passing seasons, childhood. We are not alone in our struggles.
The range of the works express a belief in art's power to regenerate. Enter an enchanted world where you can leave your troubles in a giant birds mouth, sit inside the Motherhouse and reflect on the universal condition, go on a journey with the moon, write in The Book of Self Loathing, lose yourself in the world of the Oracle. Leave renewed, uplifted and joyful.
Alice's Spell body of work is about magic and catharsis. The title Spell' refers to the period of time (ten years) covered by this body of work. It also references the time spent physically making the works, and a significant part of Alice's children's childhoods. Alice started making works from her to-do lists in 2013 to express the difficulty she found in making art after having her two children. SPELL also means a period of enchantment, in this case a golden time of relative youth and motherhood, as well as qualities within the works themselves.
SELECTED WORKS
