Just before the lockdown, I was feeling lost with my practice and the direction my life was taking. I could not block out the reality of the capitalist society, which is the fabric of present life, and is eroding our future. I knew that I needed to navigate it in some way, and this began by thinking about the appealing possibility of something external to humans that understood it all. This led to considering the concept of Angels or Spirits, a concept present in many religions and belief systems that seems to have universal relevance, even for atheists - there is always a tendency to believe in something bigger than ourselves.

My mode of thinking through this idea was to make it manifest physically, turning the invisible into the tangible. I built a life sized figure which allowed me to start developing a personal relationship with this concept. When lockdown was announced, and the Slade closed, I decided to stay at my Mum’s house for the duration, and brought the Angel along with me to continue our work. I knew that I wanted to produce some kind of film, but I did not have a clear idea of what this would look like. Making the film was very intuitive, and it evolved greatly over time the longer that I worked on it.

As the project continued, it became much less about the Angel, and much more about our relationship. The idea of taking control, moving on from something that was no longer helpful as a form of growth, and a realisation that the Angel concept was useful as a device for me to get to somewhere that I needed to be, but there was a point where she became no longer necessary. I had realised that I needed to take action instead of relying on or hoping for something or someone else to do it for me.

Katie Mess
BA Fine Art