Smotherlode, 2013
– Twilight Girls, Helen Hyatt-Johnston & Jane Polkinghorne
3m w x 4m h, sticky-backed vinyl inkjet print
Smotherlode, 2013. The Twilight Girls. inkjet print on sticky-backed vinyl
This work consciously and deliberately uses negative and repulsive representations of the feminine in the form of a large movie poster constructed from original digital photographs, text and low-grade illustration.
Smotherlode parodies the popular use of the phrase mother lode (aside from its mining etymology) is used metaphorically to indicate something of abundance or great value, is here mashed with the phrase and notion of the ‘smother mother’, generally a negative term associated with an extremely over-protective mother.
The ‘smother mother’, the ‘phallic mother’ are hackneyed phrases used to undermine women where it hurts: motherhood. In an attempt to reveal some of the more ridiculous aspects of those phrases and to mess with them as the clichés they have become, The Twilight Girls generate an artwork that acknowledges the negativity surrounding feminine representation, reworking negative connotations for their real power and genuine affect.