Léonie Hampton, 2009
Rupert Bear Jacket De-Mothing #1, 2009
Created by Léonie Hampton in 2009. The artwork is a photo face on 6mm low iron glass, polished and bevelled edges, polyester back & MDF split batten and displayed at 17 x 25.40 cm.
Living in permanent fear of dirt and contamination. Stacks of stuff that make rooms uninhabitable. Fully withdrawing from the rest of the world. People suffering an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are subject to obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions that often clash with social activities and relations.
The series In the Shadow of Things is the result of an agreement between mother and daughter. The English photographer promised her mother to help her deal with the compulsive disorder, as long as she was permitted to document her daily life with OCD. Rupert Bear Jacket De-Mothing #1 shows a yellow jacket that seems to have been tossed out with coat hanger and all, and has now been covered by dry autumn leaves. The title and image suggest a certain contradiction: getting rid of moths for fear of contamination clashes with the dirt accumulating on the jacket as it lies outside.
© Léonie Hampton, courtesy of the Foam Collection