Bronwyn Newcater

Tumultuous

What happens when our object of desire begins to hinder our flourishing and actively blocks the want and aims that drew us to it in the first place? Cruel Optimism can be described as a relation of attachment to compromised conditions. 

Tumultuous was created in 2020 when I really began to question my mother's experiences of domestic abuse. The artwork became a way for my mom to tell her story but to also understand the experiences of those who were around her - myself, sisters, uncles, and grandmother. It was through a very considerate, cautious and sensitive process that the artwork became a co-creation. 

The artwork takes the form of a book as well as photographs of my mom's body. The book makes use of text derived from each individual, with their handwriting allowing for a distinctive voice and the capturing of emotion. The book also includes both my photography and family photographs, with some recreated using cyanotype which has a strong connection to my mom leaving her abuser. Lastly, the book makes use of a trigger warning bookmark to allow the individual reading to decide which part is more triggering for them. 

The photographs became a way to speak to my perspective as well as the physicality of what was left. I looked to how her body carried what happened to her through the years, each photograph referencing an act of violence while retaining her beauty. Unlike the focus of the book, which lies in the “then”, the photographs bring her experience into the “now”.