As a mother of a child with Autism, I have an interest in understanding the physiological states and the outward expression of our experiences. Visually interpreting our outwardly expressed emotions, is for me a language explaining what we are going through, what we think or feel. Physical body language seen in the posture of animals’ ears and birds’ feathers give my figures a way to speak without making a sound. These additional features metaphorically relate to my own maternal experiences. My child’s symptoms are similar to many who are challenged with this disability, such as an absence of spoken language, eye contact, social skills and physical communication gestures (pointing, waving and reaching).

Being able to hear the unspoken language of my children allows me to communicate with them, and raise concerns for children and the human condition in general. This work embodies a visual language that has to be interpreted. For the viewer, it’s a glimpse of the language I have had to develop to communicate with my children, particularly with my autistic son. Because of the condition, my own experience as a mother has been influenced to realize the importance of those things precious and yet taken for granted.