Two Homes is a body of work that gives candid insight into an alternative domestic partnership, challenging the notion of a traditional nuclear family as the only viable option in today’s society. The family is perpetually evolving, an entity in which relationships grow and shrink, develop and dissolve, strengthen and dissipate. By using comparative diptychs of seemingly mundane subjects, the viewer is encouraged to consider the ‘family’ in the context of my child’s two homes.
Subjects relating to my daughter’s daily routines are observed, documented, and collected in the context of my home. Using these images as reference, I then reproduce them in her father’s to create a more comprehensive visual map of our family. By similarly documenting the fulfilment of her basic needs; play, eat, sleep, we begin to see differences that illustrate the separation between her two homes. Although the images are similar in structure and style, subtle gender associations become apparent in the way tasks are undertaken. The ritual of bathing for example: a task which can easily be considered a chore presents itself with an equal opportunity for play, all depending on the approach. It’s within these varied approaches and associations the character of the two homes is revealed, resulting in an often humorous illustration of everyday life.