Constructed Paradise

The work comprises of several pinwheels with propellers made out of palm tree/cabbage tree leaves. Pinwheels relate largely to the seaside: ideas of sweltering package holidays, nostalgia, and sci-fi wind turbines spring to mind. This work stems from my research into why palm trees grow in England. I relate the tree to loss and displacement. To me the palm tree also symbolises my mother's experience as a Spanish single woman living in a male-dominated working-class estate. She cared for the front garden palm tree at our council house during the 15 years we were there. Exotic palm trees in England stick out and don't belong in the same way my mother felt she didn’t belong. However, it can be argued that belonging is a fantasy. Most palm trees in random gardens in the UK are actually cabbage trees imported from New Zealand for their durability in English weather conditions. The urge to symbolically represent tropical fantasies in English estate gardens is a romantic construction in itself. Presented at Safehouse (1&2) in Peckham, 2023