Safe in the Studio by Patty Carroll
Like all of us, I have been sequestered at home. Unlike many of us, I was hit with the world’s worst cold after returning from England. It lasted more than three weeks, and just as I was getting over it, I was rushed to the emergency room, where they determined I needed to have my appendix out fast! So, instead of being happily playing with all my mannequins, materials, and household objects to make pictures in the studio, I have been watching old movies and sleeping a lot! However, I am now returning to the land of the living, breathing, and talking, and I am antsy to get back to the studio.
Blues by Patty Carroll
Before the lockdown, I was making red, white and blue pictures about the constant barrage of politics, which seemed to be erupting from every email, radio, tv, internet site, and even the cracks in the sidewalk. It hasn't really let up, but the concentration of news has shifted to the dreaded coronavirus instead. It is hard to ponder larger issues when we are confined to our homes and are concerned with the everyday, seemingly meaningless issues of cooking, cleaning, eating, sleeping, and what is on Netflix for entertainment. Nevertheless, all of my photographs are about those simple, ordinary, yet overwhelming tasks that we carry out every day.
News by Patty Carroll
When I first started the Anonymous Women series, I was in the midst of making a home after moving several times. I had also been displaced and thrown into British society. In that context, I was always addressed as “Mrs. Jones”, and I felt my identity as an independent artist/photographer was became buried underneath my domestic status. So, the Anonymous Woman was born hiding behind domestic objects, disappearing in her drapes, and disguising herself in her possessions. In the current iteration of the series, she is overwhelmed by her domestic activities, which is resulting in a lot of mayhem and calamity.
The current iteration of Anonymous Women, Domestic Demise, has its roots in the perfection and myth of suburban life. I received a great higher education taught by nuns wearing traditional habits. While their teaching was thorough, their goals seemed to revolve around making us good wives and more importantly great housewives whether we wanted a career or not! Always a bit rebellious, I went on to teach photography for many years at various universities, but the perfect housewife syndrome still resonates within me. The series mocks and celebrates these ideals, and the Anonymous Woman struggles to uncover her identity in every room of her home.
Cleaned Out by Patty Carroll
All of my images are tableaus of imagined home scenes. In each scene, havoc and hilarity run rampant. I always include a little humor in my work. With an 8 x 8 ft background and four ft walls, I create each photograph with an elaborate life size stage. I use various home objects and a mannequin as a substitute woman. I often use vintage materials to recreate the “perfect” home I never had (but wanted) as a child.
The narratives are influenced by many sources: colorful vintage movies, traditional still-life paintings, decorating magazines, my suburban upbringing, the game of clue, and even Victorian writing. The figure symbolizes so many unseen heroic women who silently run a home, family, and often careers no matter what culture or background. While humor is prevalent in these narratives, the message behind them has darker implications about the role of women in all societies.