Well, What Did You Expect?
My Tree Is Not Your Tree
The Point Of No Return
Nicole Wassall
Well, What Did You Expect?
In hindsight the abuse is clear, so why did I let it go on?
A wooden hand holds a white handkerchief embroidered with the words “Well, what did you expect?” The ‘handwriting’ style and the way the handkerchief is held gives the piece the countenance of the everyday.
The black writing is visible, or partially visible, depending on how it falls, or the wind blows.
The hand is the emotional comforter, but it is also cold, disembodied and stiff. The text reminds us of the uncomfortable truth, that there were red flags were there all along. The piece alludes to the tears and frustration that accompany the raw grief and confusion and to acts of surrender. At the same time, there is an element of judgement, almost as if we were in on the collusion.
White cotton handkerchief, black thread embroidery and articulated wooden hand. 40cm high x 30cm x 30cm
My Tree Is Not Your Tree
Having lost my instinctive boundaries, I had to re-understand them in a more conscious way. From a distance the inner box is levitating within the fine, outer brass frame. On closer inspection, the inner box is suspended on gold wires. The balance is delicate and dependent on the integrity of the outer frame. The outer brass frame creates the illusion of a barrier to the inner part of the sculpture, but it’s just a frame.
The inner box is sealed in glass. Thoughts are typed on each paper tag so that some text is visible, and some is not; some tags are gilded with 24ct gold, and one tag floats upwards against gravity.
The piece reflects on the emotional boundaries that we hope people will respect, like the outer brass frame with open sides and the impossibility of revealing all that we hold inside, like the text on the tags in the glass box. When lit from above a shadow is cast from the paper tags, and an organic, heart shape is revealed beneath the sculpture—the shadow of emotions.
Outer brass frame, gold plated wire, inner glass box contains paper tags and a cherry tree branch decorated with gold leaf. 60cm x 60cm x 60cm
The Point Of No Return
When I understood the structures of the abuse, it was easier to process it and to walk away. A black ladder balances against the odds. In terms of gravity, the piece would make more sense if the ladder had both feet on the ground and it was propped up against a wall. It should be simple to adjust but the dynamic has not been set up like that and the solid gold rung is an illusion, it’s only surface coated.
Wooden ladder painted black and gold, and dark marble. 90cm high x 30cm x 30cm
See more of Nicole’s work here
