Ryann Davies

“Anxieties bloom, worries and fears forged by the unnatural lights and harsh noises I don’t belong in. They hang over me, capture me. A barrier than is of my own making, that only I can see after spending so long building it. It’s a separation I claim keeps me safe. Instead, it just traps me. To me, it is everything. It guides my life, makes the rules, forces me in place. It keeps me here.”

Ryann Davies, using her own body, knits large net-like structures out of material which echoes her feeling of not quite belonging e.g., twine placed in the city’s concrete-jungle or fishing line that blends into the background. The nets themselves are a physical manifestation of how her fears and anxieties, which are not only continuously there, but also have a direct effect on how she lives her life. They leave her feeling trapped and uncomfortable, usually when just doing everyday things. This feeling of being trapped is conceived at the making process where, knitting with her arms, she is partially immobilised, unable to do anything else until the process is completely finished. She captures this repetitive action on video, encapsulating the performance in its entirety.