Emily Bottomer

Repetitive strain is an immersive curved drawing installation. Using graphite and oil stick, Bottomer has used a laborious drawing technique to meticulously saturate every square inch of the paper. Through the application of continuous mark-making, the surface of the work has undergone a state of metamorphosis. Resulting in a reflective and immersive installation that invites the viewer to consider their position in relation to the work.

The curved frame has been created by kerfing timber, a precarious technique that involves making a series of cuts into a length of wood so that it can bend. This transformative process has added an important depth to the work.

Throughout her MA, Bottomer has adopted an auto-ethnographic approach to her research, investigating her position as a working-class woman within a wider historical, cultural and socio-political context. Alongside the artist’s lived experience, her exploration of her family’s history has greatly informed the work. Learning about places they worked and the toll it took on them has greatly informed this work.

Repetitive Strain simultaneously considers the strain that being working-class takes upon the body and the mind, particularly when entering art spaces.