Home Sweet Home
Ava-Taylor Fanzega-Mcbean
See it On Campus: Level 1
Ava-Taylor Fanzega-Mcbean
Home Sweet Home represents my childhood/family home. Throughout this series, I have created eleven multi-medium pieces which all express or depict different aspects of my lived experience and memory within this home. I’m working to archive this time and place as I cope with the selling and deconstruction of such a meaningful space. This series is for anyone who is drawn to memory work, grief, and family connection. My hope is for others to positively be transported back to their own significant childhood experiences.
I have now completed my eleventh and final piece in this series. A ceramic representation of my childhood home which visually depicts the memories held within it through the use of photos. Throughout the creation process, pieces of the exterior cracked and broke which created missing elements that I leaned into. This represented the inevitable destruction of this place. The door knob is absent representing a home that is no longer accessible. The wall separation on the rear of the house allows the viewer access to the memories created and held within over the decades. Family images act as the inner wallpaper of the home. Over all the creation process of this series as a whole has allowed me to work through and grieve this loss. When it comes to an audience I invite anyone to experience this work. I hope the audience includes others who have attachments to places of residence and who can relate, as the housing crisis and market are skyrocketing.
I wanted to dive into something personally meaningful, a self-portrait of myself as a child. My inner child. The portrait is centerfold and accompanied by meaningful phrases, words, and numbers that intuitively present themselves when thinking of my past. Such as phrases and songs I remember my grandparents would say, numbers that have meaning to me, and other details that highlight the love for my inner child. It’s a piece I will hold dear to my heart for my whole life to remind myself that little me is always within.
This piece highlights the impact of inflation, deconstruction, sentiment, and the comfort of home. I work in a few mediums, including paint, graphite, and clay. Setting out to create a replica of this home the use of clay will allow me to do such, and the material also speaks to construction and deconstruction. The fragile quality of the material also highlights the fragile feelings related to having to sell a sentimental home. Research takes place in the form of looking at other artists who have created similar pieces. Getting inspiration, techniques, and ideas from other artists. I also like to research the context that I’m trying to portray such as the housing crisis in this instance. Artists I’ve taken inspiration from for this project are Thomas Doyle, Toula Prins, and Jill Orlov who all make miniature sculptures featuring architecture.
Through hand-drawn illustrations of this home, I have captured the balance between memory and place. This book acts as an archive of the home after the inevitable destruction of this space. The love and memories created and homed in these rooms will forever be represented. A journey of past, space, time, and joy.
This project as a part of my series is based on the front door of my family home; my grandparent’s front door. I used graphite in a variety of harnesses to build up contrast inspired by Milano Chow. The concept behind this work is to bring the drawing to life. Creating a space in time. To allow the viewer to experience what I have thousands of times; the moment before entering my childhood home. The anticipation of love and warmth that’s behind said door. The absence of a door knob symbolizes a space I will soon no longer be able to access.
Every Sunday my family would gather in this home and share delicious food made by my grandpa. This was a ritual in a sense. I believe food can bring people together and create a space of belonging. I felt this ritual needed to be represented within this series as it was a big part of my life and what brought me to this space weekly. My goal was to also capture and represent my family, the most important component of this space. I created a snapshot of this event through paint on canvas. I chose to do this painting on a larger canvas as I felt it complimented the value of these dinners. I wanted things to be a bit “off” as far as the composition and viewpoint, as I wanted to again bring in this sense of memory taking inspiration from Pauline Gough and Caroline Wong. The inclusion of dinner plates that have been used for years at our family dinners situates the viewer in the space as it brings in real elements. Another aspect is the gaze. The viewer is confronted with the gaze of the family and positioned sitting at the table with us. Although you feel as though you are here with us there’s a sense of confrontation as everyone is looking towards you. This is to touch on the confrontation felt within the housing market and the confrontations of selling and affordable housing. It also hits on the feelings of confrontation you may feel when sitting down with a family you don’t know. This work is meant for everyone as we are reminded of dinners held in our own homes. This work is relevant now as the housing crisis is the worst it’s been.
I believe choosing to create a series of family portraits to include within my larger series is important as they are the most important component of the space. Representing each family member through a painted portrait is a way to pay tribute to each person. I enjoyed being able to work on more portraits as it’s something I enjoy doing and have done in the past but surprisingly never for my family members. Including myself in this series of portraits was important as I am a part of what makes up this house and the memories that took place here. I’m choosing to display these portraits within a family tree as they’re being presented singularly and not as part of the whole series and I want the viewer to be able to gather meaning from portraits of people unknown. I’m hoping that the inclusion of fallen branches from our past windstorm gathered from my grandparent’s backyard will allow for meaning-making as one can piece together the reference to a family tree. I also chose to keep the background of each portrait empty as I want the attention to be on the individual shown and instead add elements of representation of each person through trinkets that belong to and represent each member. This piece will touch on the roots and strength within a family and the importance of this dynamic.
This painting started this whole series. This portrait is meant to symbolize and recognize the love I have for this space. This home has given me so much, a simple piece of architecture that means so much to my family. This is not just a structure meant to shelter us, but a soul that carries our love and memories.
I reflect on the time spent with my grandfather in and around this home. We would go on walks around the park, rose garden, and neighborhood. This painting began with the goal of representing us walking through the rose garden and quickly became a combination of that place amongst many others. The direct representation wasn’t necessary as it’s the memory I’m seeking to capture. This place represents both the rose garden and the local park. I decided to include the Canadian goose as a symbol of place and it’s something that would cross our path often when we would feed the ducks. My choice to use a circular canvas enhances the feeling of a constant sense of motion. As the edges and corners are absent. As I created this piece I reflected on the wholesome moments spent with my grandpa growing up and I’m left with a sense of whimsy being able to revisit these moments from childhood.
The house sign works as an object that relays a message to viewers that this house is for sale; Available for purchase. I then used to art of dètournement To hijack this sign with new words that create a different meaning in one’s mind. The sign stating that “The Housing Market Is Bullshit” gives the viewer a new representation, which works through the stages of interpretation as the meaning of the for sale sign changes. This is how the artwork can go through a signification process to create meaning. This gives my piece the power to create a whole new sense of meaning from an object or sign that was already situated here. A viewer’s world views will determine if this work becomes reactive or proactive. Some may relate, while others may be angered as I know I am not alone in feeling the impacts of the crisis we face today.
