Artwork description: My work explores how play and fantasy became copying mechanisms for childhood trauma, transforming difficult memories into expressions of vulnerability, resilience and healing.

Artwork description long: This body of work explores how play, imagination, and creativity became ways of coping with difficult childhood experiences. Growing up with an alcoholic and verbally abusive father, I often lived in an environment filled with fear, uncertainty, and constant conflict. These experiences shaped my understanding of safety, communication and self-expression. Fantasy and play served as important coping mechanisms and survival strategies that carried over into adulthood. They have offered a sense of escape and protection when reality felt overwhelming. In this work, I revisit uncomfortable memories while also healing from them. Through my sculptures, I create a visual language that reflects both vulnerability and resilience. Topographic cone forms represent systems of control and authority, symbolising the presence of my father (who suppressed my voice) and the power he held within the home. Glass gummy bears speak to a distorted childhood. While gummy bears are often associated with comfort, innocence, and play, recreating them in glass makes them fragile and vulnerable, reflecting the complexities of my early experiences. Through making, I practice reparenting myself, offering the care and understanding I needed as a child. This work shows how play can become a tool for healing, transformation, and self-discovery.