My Mum (The Furniture Maker)

This short film explores my mum’s dual identity as a furniture maker and as a parent.

Motivated by a growing understanding of her IVF journey to have me and my sister, this project unfolded through a series of intimate conversations that fostered a new openness in our relationship. Initially conceived as a portrait of her craft, the work expanded into a broader reflection on the tensions many women face between motherhood and creative practice. It explores the parallels between raising children and making furniture, both acts of creation shaped by care, time, and sacrifice. The film engages with wider questions of gender, labour, and identity, examining how societal expectations often force women to choose between personal and professional fulfilment. While rooted in my mother’s experience, it invites viewers to reflect on their own family dynamics and the complex, inherited stories that shape who we become.

The Film

Grimsby St Portrait, Framed

Photographed on a Hasselblad, this portrait captures my mum standing with her dog at the entrance to her workshop. It accompanies a short film exploring her dual identity as a furniture maker and mother. The frame, handmade by her, extends the collaboration beyond subject and lens, merging our practices of furniture-making and photography. Together, image and object honour the intersection of labour, care, and creativity.

Portrait #1

Portrait #2

Portrait #3

Portrait #4