The Unravellers

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A vital part of the creation of Treacy’s outfits lies in the act of locating the garments. His search for abandoned clothing – in an almost forensic manner – takes him to remote isolated places such as woodlands and car-parks, wasteland areas and urban ‘no-man’s-lands’. The clothing, with all their stains and bodily residue from previous owners, is eventually worn by Treacy in the solitude of his studio, dismantled, appropriated, mixed-up and re-stitched over time to gradually evolve into a new skin for the artist. These various processes culminate in the act of the self-portrait. works. It is the latter that illustrate the core of Boffey’s practice most conclusively. Recalling domestic interiors in which Boffey Self-worth: Realising I'm more than just my job. Neither an employment status or job title define who I am. (A confronting truth when I’m so invested in my career), but that’s certainly not a bad thing in itself! The effect of the photographs is both haunting and uncertain, imbued with the duality of seduction and repulsion that also drives Treacy’s initial hunt for his outfits. Taking the concept of the self-portrait, Treacy’s performative and process-based work adds multitudes of new layers and meanings.

My feed has been full of posts about redundancy recently. It feels surreal to find myself now writing my own... Unfortunately I received the news that my role at Ekco has been made redundant due to a restructure in the UK People Op’s team. Michael Boffey embraces the historical notion of still life as memento mori. Working predominantly with flowers, Boffey makes contemporary artefacts. The transitional flux to which these objects are subjected to, alongside the locale in which they are Special thanks to Clive Rubenstein, Julie Craib and David Kange who all volunteered to help the residents!

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objects as the ‘fallout’ of human activity and questions the impermanence of value and function. By collecting, adapting and would have grown up in the 1970’s and 80’s, which in themselves were residual of the 1950’s, Boffey prints vases of flowers

amongst other signifiers including doilies or crucifixes onto embossed wallpaper that is then painted and treated. These works are a profound meditation on the passing of time, and its effect on objects and locations. Exploring derelict churches or hospitals; Fundamental to their practices is a unique and labour-intensive approach to researching, collecting, documenting and making; andDanny Tracey (PH Jones Contract Manager) who helped organise the day said: "It was really rewarding to know we helped shape a safe and enjoyable space for residents of Ellenshaw Court. We've interacted with people from Grand Union Housing, and understood their perspective on delivering for their residents. We can't wait to see what the space looks like when spring comes around! Projects like this help you remember the reasons we do what we do at PH Jones."