Sculptor and ceramicist, Michael Doolan takes on fairytales at the Jam Factory.
One of the works on display as part of a recent Jam Factory exhibition called ’Figuration’ in Adelaide was ’Grandma’s House’ by sculptor and ceramicist Michael Doolan.
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Doolan’s art reflects his particular fascination for toys, oral folk tales, and woodland animals and scenes.
This piece, also called ‘Green Story’, is a response to the story of Little Red Riding Hood and in particular, how the story was changed from a gruesome tale of warning where both grandmother and little girl are devoured by the bloodthirsty wolf, to a story where one or both are saved by the heroic woodcutter.
‘Grandma’s House’ was created in hand-modelled clay and covered with a plush green skin that gives the piece a sense of comfort and security, while the hard reality lies just below the surface.
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Here the materiality of the piece reflects the alternate versions of the story where grandma’s house represents either a house of horror or a safe refuge within the danger of the forest.
Text by Penny Craswell
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Woodcutter Rabbit – Michael Doolan