This body of work is inspired by age-old themes of identity juxtaposed the taboos of sexual imagery and death; "Who is Valerie Carpenter?" is an exploration into the perception of femininity and a sideways glance into the objectification of women.
"I was a contractor for my musician husband and when he died, not only my love died but my job and my life with him. Left to pick up the pieces and find a new way of living my life on every level - financially, emotionally, spiritually - I started to express my emotions by re-enacting those very pertinent memories. As a method of self-healing, I retraced the steps between the place where he fell by the garden gate, to the very spot where I witnessed his spirit leave. Significantly for me when I paced the distance, it measured 24 steps. A number that has always been extremely relevant to me - the date of his passing was 24th June; we met on the 24th; we moved into this house on exactly the same date 18 years earlier - and we had been together 24 years. As a practicing artist, it has been part of my journey to visualize the very transparent exposed nature of death. "
I welcome you to enjoy my images and films by following the links above.
I welcome you to enjoy my images and films by following the links above.
Thank you, Valerie x
Contact: whoisvaleriecarpenter@gmail.com
