Tracy Emin’s My Bed, 1998
The bed was outside, Ash and I slept in it over night, it was amazing to experience my street of 14 years from outside, to hear the neighbours laughing and talking, to see what time they turned their lights out etc. it was amazing to be so warm and cosy outside, I loved the sensation of having a cold head and warm body, but the over ridding experience was one of exposure, to be in bed outside was extremely exposing, I felt vulnerable, it was different from camping, we were in our bed, it was wrong, because beds are private, intimate, bedrooms are our sanctuaries. Variations on the phrase ‘don’t hang out your dirty linen’ ‘don’t air your dirty laundry in public’, ‘don’t wash your dirty linen outside’ and ‘don’t hang your dirty linen on my line’..rang through my mind. So the next day in response to Tracy Emin’s My Bed and my experience of sleeping in my bed in the street I made a stop frame animation where I brought out every single thing from my bedroom one by one, pretty much, and placed it on my bed..bra’s, knickers, socks etc. for the whole street to see!
Assisted by Ashley Calvert
My Bed (Room) – film – 2 minutes 46 seconds
