Hannah Moulds: Triffids and the Reclaiming of Power

 

In an open space, there's a cage. Rubbery tendrils dripping down from the bars, it’s reaching towards you. Recent Goldsmiths MFA graduate, Hannah Moulds’s entrancing work She Stands Unrecognised By Them And Unconscious Herself Of Her Fantastic Power realises the vulnerability of humanness, drawing from personal experiences. Her latex sculptures strike conversation on caring, bringing it to its simplest form and divorcing it from all challenging contexts, it brings a comforting energy to what can oftentimes be a difficult conversation. Audio of wetness and warm lighting, or a lack of harshness, comforts in a somewhat surprising manner. The incorporation of the sculpture into the exhibition space and the interactability of the installation truly emphasises the infectious nature of the triffid-eqsue sculptures. 

 

The inspiration for Moulds’ installation is very visually present through the particular material of latex. Moulds has cited David Cronenberg’s visual style of practical effects as a key inspiration for the sculptures, such as the rubbery and wet look of iconic creatures such as Brundlefly. Moulds also cites the triffids from the post-apocalyptic science fiction novel The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham as inspiration for the natural shape of the sculptures. While the visual style is that of sci-fi horror, the underlying themes are what truly grip. In conversation with Moulds’, she spoke of how the sculpture, rather ironically, had grown into other topics; learning and accepting past events had seeped into her work. Initial interpretations of viewers are apprehension, latex and cold hard metal creates immediate bondage imagery, immediately sexualised. The process of caring for these triffid-like sculptures is burdensome, although it reflects back on Moulds’ self. Revising past events and now having to reassess the nature of a relationship, the personal connection between herself and the sculptures has visualised the curative process required. Being able to control whether the sculptures stay maintained gives a certain power balance between the artist's relationship with her art, she is learning to restore her power over what has been assumed as something else to the outsider. In other words, she truly is unconscious herself of her fantastic power. 

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Hannah Moulds is soon to be exhibiting at The Art House from the 29th of March to the 13th of May 2023. 

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Amy Stokes, 9th December 2022

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The Fly (1986)

Wyndham, J. (1951), The Day of the Triffids.