Kate Hyatt

My work focuses on themes of mental health and expresses my personal experiences of sexual assault, depression and anxiety, displaying the effects these things have. I choose to create because poor mental health can be incredibly isolating. Emotions are not tangible, they do not have a physical shape, they can feel all-consuming so giving them a form makes them feel more easily managed. It is my hope that someone else might recognise the fear of ‘big emotions’ and be encouraged that they are not alone. I wish to communicate through my treatment of materials, not focussing on the end product, but rather how I feel during the creation process. I handle materials with force and explosive violence, the action represents the intensity of my anger. I find myself creating through destruction, building a piece up to tear it apart again. The end form for a piece may only be shards or ashes. My ‘lo fi’ style reflects my artistic themes. Using found materials became symbolic to me; the pieces of board I used had been discarded, enabling me to use them to express my feelings, left behind in the creative act. My installation is a snapshot of my mind from a time of deep personal pain and struggle. The enclosed space reflects the nature of being stuck in a dark place, where it feels as though there is no escape. The audio element suggests a constant internal monologue and the scripts are parallels to the intrusive thoughts that have been hard to quieten.