Arabel Lebrusan

“A house constitutes a body of images that give mankind proofs or illusions of stability.” (Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space)

This immersive installation by Rosillo de Blas (aka Arabel Lebrusan) at St. Albans Museum pivots on the human aspiration to own a house and create a home.

The artist is interested in the motivation behind our dreams of home ownership and the stability, security and protection it promises. The impetus for the installation was a group of intriguing objects, photographs and architectural drawings from the Museum of St. Albans collection which relate to local post-war housing developments, including estates such as Marshalswick and Jersey Farm, and demonstrate an appetite for lone ownership and fresh beginnings. Her artworks undermine and challenge these motives and suggest instead that the ‘house’ can be a site of chaos, disorder, claustrophobia and even violence.

“I am exploring wider issues of power relationships, exploitation and inequality through material culture and women’s tactile environment. I draw attention to the subliminal violence inherent in traditional domestic tasks: knitting, soap rubbing, or the sharp knife skinning a rabbit” – (Arabel Rosillo de Blas) Keep reading…