Introduction to video shown at opening of Slow Boil Exhibition

By Jocelyn Purdie

…”In my research for this Exhibition I was fortunate to find not one but two documentaries about Mary that featured her work from the 70s and 80s, which this show focuses on. I chose this particular one for a number of reasons, one because of the work that is being discussed in the documentary, second because of its feminist content and third, because in combination with the Rosler Video and the Rawlyk prints in slow boil, it allows us tho consider Mary’s work in the broader international context of feminist art practice that was taking place during that time.

There were three series of prints produced by the artist during this period, two of which-the domestic object/domestic chore series (from the early-70s)and the housewife/housework variations (from the early 80s)– a selection of which are featured in slow boil. The prints presented in this documentary are from the third of these bodies of work. The Apron Series, which were made in the mid 1980s and will, I think, in combination with works in slow boil, provide a sense of the scope of Mary’s practice during this time. Also, in tone and content, the Apron Series compliments the works in the exhibition, infusing slow boil with an intensity that speaks to the underlying frustrations and issues of the day but that also, I think, provide a lens through which contemporary art can be considered.

The documentary begins with the artist demonstrating and describing in detail, her printmaking process, allowing us into her studio to witness her inventive use of materials. Gradually the layers of meaning and content in the work surface when Mary discusses current issues around women and the domestic sphere- her dialogue shrewdly interwoven with actual footage from a session in the House of Commons in the Early 1980s.”…