Compulsions (2020)

Anna Muirhead

I wanted to examine the tension between spontaneity and restriction between the body and the COVID restrictions. I began a series of ‘Compulsions’, where I photographed myself completing ‘spontaneous’ actions that I repeatedly wanted to do during lockdown. Whilst making and reflecting on the works I discovered my compulsions were deriving from pent up stress, lack of sleep, anxiety and the restrictions of lockdown. I had previously thought that spontaneity was fun and exciting but found this to be the opposite in the current climate`.

For this work, I took inspiration from Hayley Newman’s ‘Connotations’ and ideas from the writings of Harold Rosenberg and Mierle Laderman Ukeles.