This shrine is a combination of collected objects mostly from Mexico dispearsed with objects I have made myself ie the red glitter faced doll in the box, which was made for an exhibition for Mencap in 2014.
The 2 doll heads were bought together in a flea market in Paris called Vanves. As they were bought together they felt like they needed to be made into a Siamese twin sculpture. The sculpture is entitled 'One is called Blossom the other isn't'. In the background we have the 'White bride sculpture'.
Two sculptures I have assembled for the museum. They are part my family.
Collections of glasses from junk markets in Paris and teeth moulds donated to the museum.
Detail of the shrine in the museum. The dented faced doll (which incidently is one of my favourite in the whole house) was bought from Deptford market. It had been run over by a car.
After my mum had passed on I had to sort her things out. I was going through her handbag and found a little black purse with minature light bulbs and screwed up bits of silver paper. I don't know what they were saved for. I left they as they were found and attached them to a sculpture in the museum.
This text in this picture describes how I feel about the House of Dreams, my work, and my artistic life journey. I sometimes don't have a clue what I am doing and why. I only know it's the right thing for me to do.
A close up of the wall in the museum. In the centre of the picture is a Victorian faring which I bought many years ago at an antique fair in Nantwich in Cheshire. It is trapped behind glass.
Close up of the wall in the museum. The battered little blue and white lion was dug up in our back garden in Shavington by my dad when I was a kid. It is also trapped behind glass.
On the left of the picture is the detail of a column in the museum. It forms part of an archway. The 'Memory Board' to the right is self explanatory.
The headless hanging dollies were bought from Vanves market in Paris. I actually bought 77 of them covered in pigeon shit. When I got back home, I left them as they were. I didn't wash them. I did however put some of them into cellophane bags and hung them in the window shrine. The doll with the burnt face was made by myself.
Detail of the wall. The 2 little doll heads to the left were bought in a toy shop in Oaxaca, Mexico. To the right is a plastic Virgin Mary holy water bottle bought in Mexico City.
Detail of the wall. The 2 photographs were found together in a flea market in Brussels in 2015. The 3 dolls with various disabilities were also bought there at the same time.
Detail of the wall. Michael does call me 'Mr Sixpence'. I'm always changing my mind. I can turn on a sixpence.
A very recent donation (January 2016) to the museum. A ponytail which one once belonged to actor Richard Ashton.
A large hand written 'Memory Board' which describes in detail the final moments of Donald Jones, my then partner, and also the moments after. The was written half an hour after he had died.
To the right are photographs of my mum and dad, Marjorie and Charles Wright (Madge and Charlie). They are standing in the back garden of our family home in Shavington, Cheshire. My mum was a carer for my dad in his final years. The dependency and love they had for each other can be seen clearly in this picture.
It is a very touching picture to me.
The bottom picture was taken of their grave 2 years later after they had both passed on.
Details of the archways in the hallway. Most of the stained glass and strings of beads used for decoration were bought from a junk market in Porte de Montreuil in Paris. The door is covered with other peoples' family pictures bought in Lisbon and Porto in 2015.
Details of my hand-written 'Memory Boards'.
A photograph of Michael Vaughan, my partner. Michael is an amazingly supportive, patient and understanding partner. It can't be easy for him sometimes!
Detail of the mosaic wall in the porch of the house. The Christ head was given to me by a gravedigger in a cemetary in Oaxaca, Mexico in 2004. I was on holiday in Mexico and stayed for 2 weeks in Oaxaca.
I became friendly with an American woman who was staying in the same hotel. We went for a walk one morning to the cemetary. We were exploring the cemetary and was suddenly we were approached by a man working there. Luckily the American lady spoke Mexican. He gave me a package wrapped in old newspaper and said 'You need this'. I unwrapped it and found the head of Christ inside. It was a magical moment for me. This is the very head.
Just inside the front gate, as you come into the garden and the false teeth of my mum and dad in cement.
I look at them every day and say 'Hello'.
Mosaic wall figures in the front garden. In the corner is a mosaic totem pole of 'Spirit' characters. The large figure on the right is called the 'Spirit of the Garden' Some of the stones incorporated in this figure were gathered from Rosses Point in Sligo, Ireland, and from Greenwich when the tide had gone out.
New characters are recently emerging in 2016 on another wall in the garden. These will all be painted eventually.
A close up of the 'Snake -head' mosic creature in the front garden. Cup handles and upturned mugs are used for decoration.
Detail of the mosaic wall in the porch. There is a head theme going on here.