Jessica Paige Greig

7.9.17

Knit One, Pearl One, Drop One, 2017, 9 seconds

My Mother Teaching me to Knit, while knitting my daughter a cardigan in 2017

'Role Play' Series, 2017-2018, Digital Images

These Images are created in real time Role Play with my Daughter.

My Daughter will hesitantly ask me to play, expecting me to reject her for another domestic duty, I say 'yes of course', she has a beaming smile. When I start to play, she makes demands of me, acting controlling and particular, she doesn't allow me to voice my own imagination, I start to feel uneasy about being told what to do by a three year old, especially when I feel pressured to get other things done. Challenge her, the playing will end and our relationship momentarily breaks down, go with it and make her feel happy. I'm torn.

During our play I will think of a scenario that I want to depict, often based on my real life or a subject which I feel is important. We stage the dolls house items, figures, cloth them etc, this becomes part of the play, part of our bonding. We act out and use voices, holding the dollies 'by the neck' (this is how we are told to hold the dollies by our daughter when in Role play) She 'allows' me to pause for a moment while I take the image, I show it back to her on my digital camera, I then edit it when I get time. This is the only time that my daughter allows me to take some control during play and often the only chance I get to make work. Through this work I aim to encourage my own lack of interest in Role Play with my daughter and at the same time educate her and try to break down barriers in our relationship and that of societies expectations of females in the domestic environment.

Through this work I aim to encourage my own lack of interest in Role Play with my daughter which will ultimately help our Mother-Daughter bond and at the same time break down social negative stereotypes of women, particularly mothers.