Susan Merrick
These images are part of a series of photographs made by the artist early in the first lockdown, exploring the new regime of homeschooling, whilst struggling with a total loss of income, work and self value. The artist was using DIY as a way to cope with anxiety and had attempted to make a homemade rollercoaster out of wooden pallets with her children. In this image she brought the coaster inside to the bedroom where she wanted to crawl away and hide.
Susan Merrick is a multi-disciplinary Artist. She is interested in conversations, language and communication, in questioning whose voices are heard, and in the access and spaces that can challenge or facilitate this. With a background in BSL/English Interpreting and Sociology she makes work, projects and collaborations exploring these themes, utilising a context-based mix of social engagement, performance and live art, public installations, film making and photography.
Susan has been the recipient of the Arts Council England National Lottery project grant for 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020-21 with her socially engaged projects Statements in Semaphore and Conversations with Aldershot. She also presents the Woman Up! Podcast series in collaboration with Desperate Artwives, a series highlighting the lives and work of self identifying women artists who are also mothers/carers.
Images:
Emotional Lockdown Rollercoaster 1, 2020 Susan Merrick Performance to Camera
Emotional Lockdown Rollercoaster 2, 2020 Susan Merrick Performance to Camera
Emotional Lockdown Rollercoaster 3, 2020 Susan Merrick Performance to Camera
Susan was introduced to the project via @ruchika_wason_singh, Ffounder of the A.M.M.A.A. - The Archive for Mapping Mother Artists in Asia (www.ammaathearchive.com)