Molly Darvall

My practice examines the conjunctions between remembering, identity, and the exchange between physical and psychological environments. Through sculpture, drawing, and installation, I examine the balance between autonomy, dependence and intimate affinities. I use material experimentation, layering, and spatial manipulation to suggest themes of temporality, vulnerability, and resilience. Addressing the historical legacies of female hysteria and psychoanalysis, I examine their enduring impact by challenging conventions around gendered diagnoses and treatment and rethinking conceptions of harmony, worth, and the ordinary. I use research-based methodologies to investigate dreams and the psyche, combining historical notions with pathologised perceptions of psychological health. This investigation highlights the persistent impact of these ideas on contemporary assumptions about femininity.