Home is Where the Kettle is

By Beth Givens

Beth is a draughtsman not limited to pen and paper; her many processes mirror the complexity of her subject matter. She makes rugs with yarn, collages with paper, ceramics with clay and patterns with colour. Her practice explores themes of identity and belonging in an attempt to bring clarity to a confusing world and to situate herself within it.

“‘Home is Where the Kettle is’ consists of a collection of tufted rugs that explore the coexistence of comfort and anxiety, my relationship with them and how they can be strongly tied to objects and spaces.  I first started investigating the coexistence of comfort and anxiety during the UK Lockdown 2020, when I found myself spending 90% of my time in my bedroom. The room soon became a comfort zone as I found relief from social and work-related anxieties. 

Although pleasant at first, I started to feel a creeping sense of unease, knowing that I wasn’t challenging myself or progressing in life. The line became blurred as to whether my comfort zone was comforting, or whether it was claustrophobic and restrictive.  The juxtaposition of the 2 emotions intrigued me: I found that multiple spaces and objects in my life could host the two easily. I started asking whether the objects and spaces that I associate with comfort are positive, or whether they represent the very anxieties that they shield me from.”