Fabricated & Induced Illness is the latest patriarchal institutional tactic, in a long line of historic and contemporary witch hunts against women, others & now, Mothers.
Parental Blame is the Stick they beat us with,
FII is the rope they hang us with.
Bernadette Louise 2023.
This is the last work i made about this topic, and the last time i made work (about 6 years ago) as a result of the impact bernadettelouise.com/artist/accused/
Disability and homelessness: The idea for using tents in my work began when I wanted to raise a physical awareness of homelessness by placing life-size tents outside the local authority housing offices, each tent representing a member of my household, my family. ‘Homeless at home’ is a phrase in caselaw when it is unreasonable for a disabled family to live in their current situation. I needed to somehow make this hidden crisis tangible.
The tents were going to be placed outside the Council building, in front of the bricks and mortar of the very people who were/are responsible for causing my family significant harm with their lack of suitable housing, the endless waiting and absolute disregard for our disabilities. The cruelty and inept runs very deep within these institutions and they enforce silence of the vulnerable by manipulating their systems, and blatantly ignoring existing frameworks intended to protect us. The tents were going to be covered with words, emails, housing legislation and statistics describing the situation… Their words, and mine, and the law, things that they choose to ignore.
Tents, synonymous with rough sleeping, I wanted to draw attention to the other ways in which we are homeless. I never did make the piece of work described above, in lieu of my big tents; as has been the way over the past year; I have gone small. I have made a mini-version of my initial idea. The presentation of the tent being within the dolls house, is further illustration of ‘homeless at home’.
The reasons for the change of presentation? a) a creative desperation to make this activist artwork, even if I can’t go big, b) because I was made so unwell by the very situation I was fighting, I had nothing left in the tank to make the work in any format at all for a very long time, c) because I was advised by heads of various local organisations that my work could be seen as adversarial and not in the spirit of working together; essentially, ruffling feathers, would get me nowhere, antagonising them would result in a worse outcome. It’s crazy to think that I was so frightened of making our already unbearable situation worse, that I chose to heed that advice, d) There is always another level of ‘bad’ that can be imposed on an autistic family who are asking for help (see my previous work about the modern-day witch hunts/institutional discrimination of autistic mothers, fii and parental blame).
It is shocking how quickly Local Authorities turn on families when the support services don’t want to put funds in to preventing further harm, instead hey would rather save their own purses, and perpetuate it. This is when they get nasty, deceitful, totally void of any compassion or ethics, they will do everything within their power to avoid responsibility and instead misrepresent disabled people and mothers for asking for what we are entitled in law. ‘Spend to save’ is lost on these people. Care Act and Equality Act is lost on these people. Human Rights are lost on these people. They ignore and ignore and ignore, hoping we go away. Leading to further health and social care inequalities, and then people just die. Even those of us who somehow cling on, and appear to survive, we do go away, eventually. We are expected to compromise beyond what is reasonable, what is legal even, but if we don’t, we are involuntarily forced into submission, scaremongering at its most powerful. If you ask too much, they threaten us with Child Protection, they would rather pretend the worsening situation is the fault of the mother and not the fault of a broken system keeping disabled people down, they are the creators of harm, they need to be held to account, but they never are.
In all honesty, I have struggled to make this piece because of the surrounding trauma that we are continuing to live through as a result of nothing being resolved still to this day. I had to be a part of this show; I had to share our story.
In 2023, we were described as “a family in crisis”, and even with that information, the Local Authority and Housing Associations, have been combative towards expert evidence, oppositional towards our disabilities, and outright discriminatory in the way we have been treated. It’s a fucking disgrace, and even with the ‘law’ on our side, no one is held accountable. No one is going to pay for their wrongs, yet we have suffered greatly at the hands of inaction and discrimination. Being a family in crisis two years ago, has since torn my family apart, made for agonizing consequences, will cost the state more now and long term, than if they had acted decently then. However, it’s every one else’s problem. It’s always someone else’s job.
At the crux of this, are two autistic children and two autistic parents who’s needs are not being met and whilst I try to cut red tape at every turn, it is the children who are being further traumatised by their unsuitable housing, and it is the children who are being held together only by the fragile strands I have left, and with red threads on blue fabric, I can try to expose the truth and mend things for them. Slowly. Too slowly.
Disability and Homelessness. It’s hidden.
Homeless at Home Mixed media textiles 20cm x 20cm x 20cm £POA
I am so pleased to be part of such a wonderful group of female artists in this very powerful show ‘The Ascent of Man’. My constant fight against the patriarch and systemic injustices, I exhibited pieces about Local Authority Housing, disability discrimination and Autism.
This exhibition showcases the artwork of 70 female artists in both the gallery space and the dollhouse, made in response to their feelings at the ever-increasing oppression, repression and suppression of women around the world.
This show also includes the completed I Am Woman Project, a large textile piece by Holly Searle (The Subversive Stitcher), incorporating 81 small textile works created by over 60 women. This artwork is remaining in situ following the Contexture show and the background to the piece can be read on the exhibition page.
The words and language used in profiles are exactly as provided by the artists so that work is portrayed as intended and that what artists want to say about themselves, their work and practice – however much or little and in whatever form – is said.
If you’re interested in purchasing/discussing any of the artwork please contact me. A 10% commission is applied to sales and, as with show fees, any money raised through commission is ploughed back into the gallery for rent, overheads and upkeep.
“The test that applies is whether or not the accommodation is reasonable for the family to continue to occupy” Photography/prints 13cm x 8cm £TBC
Building houses upon houses, miles and miles of suffocating and oppressive estates, overpopulated slums… instead of meeting the needs of disabled people, who, with right housing (nothing special, nothing fancy, not costly, but specific) would significantly reduce reliance on other services, and take pressure off already oversubscribed and full-to-capacity mental health and social care sectors. I think they just hope people go away. It’s cheaper if we are dead. Equality Act means nothing. Human Rights Act means nothing. Totally unable to get the representation that we are entitled, accountability is non-existence and legal services are impenetrable, meanwhile our rights are diminished and life, if it was even possible, actually gets more difficult, more harm is caused, becoming more vulnerable, less able to function, less able to be a part of society, more and more unwell, less and less life prospects. The Systemic abuse of Autistic Families is commonplace across all of the Public Sector which vehemently protects itself by causing vulnerable families the most harm, and as a result, we are stuck and silenced into submission. My family has been emotionally and psychologically crushed by the housing system. My fight against disability policies and suitable housing and even homelessness has seen me become so unwell that I can’t begin to explain here, a shell of my former self and still they suck all the life out of me. The constant battles become all consuming. It’s the system that’s broken me. Yet I still stand.
@i_am_bernadettelouise
“The test that applies is whether or not the accommodation is reasonable for the family to continue to occupy” (series) Print/reproduced print 29.7cm x 42cm £POA
Mixtape No.9 is the latest group show from Cultivate, once again curated by Cultivate founders Emma Harvey and Sean Worrall. Please do go explore, go find out more (and yes, there is a Spotify playlist to go with ot all again as well)
What about the labels on each piece of art? What are you looking at? Is it a drawing, a photograph, a painting? Go and find out, you are essentially looking at a digital image of a piece of art and (in most cases) not the real thing. Who are these artists? What do they do? How big are these paintings? How small are these pieces? Where does the artist come from? Does she have a show coming up? Where is he exhibiting next? What do they think? What are you looking at? Go hit the links. This time we’ve only labelled the pieces with the artist’s names, nothing more, none of the other clutter, the aim is to make you go to their websites to find the answers, go to their social media, get on their mailing lists, go follow them, this show is merely your open doorway, please go through it.
Thank you again to Cultivate’s Sean Worral and Emma Harvey for putting so much effort and passion in to curating a wonderfully selected online exhibition. And thank you to all of the other amazing artists that i am lucky enough to share the Mixtape 7 online gallery exhibition with. It is always a privilege to know someone, anyone, likes my art. It is even more of a privilege to have the opportunity to see other artists and their work, and Mixtapes give us all this chance.
When i get a chance, i would like to add in some direct appreciation for those artists who i have discovered through Mixtapes and share their wonderful work, just to show some love. But for now, you will need to follow the group show and see what you like!
About my art career: I am a multidisciplinary artist, working across live art, installation, photography, sculptural/collage, and sound/video. I have always made work that represents life experiences, no matter how personal and painful. The work often takes the form of a visceral delving in to the domestic, medical and social realms.
I spent my art education split between working for Arts organisations, and attempting to retain interest in the ‘proper’ route of University. I have a BA Hons in Fine Art, and a MSc in Psychology, as well as a whole lot of other knowledge around the body as a vessel and how we inhabit it.
I am particularly interested in the intersectionality of women/mothers, autism and mental health as well as socio-economic differences. As a late diagnosed Autistic woman, I am very conscious how labels can change how we present to others and how we feel about ourselves. I also explore the perceptions and repercussions that the wrong labels can have on us, and what this means. I make art about that, and the day-to-day scenarios we face as an entirely autistic family, trudging through the quagmire of malevolent and oppressive systems created by local and national governments created to keep us in our ‘place’.
I have been an Artist for the whole of my adult life and I have been creating artworks and projects sporadically over the course of those 20+ years, factoring in the many barriers i faced as a result of my miss & missed-diagnoses. Before taking a ‘parenting hiatus’ from the art world to focus on the many faults with Health, Social Care and Education, I was fortunate enough to receive Arts Council England grants several times, and work with some of the most influential artists in the scene.
I was programmed at shows Fierce Festivals 2003 – 2008, The Barbican ‘Surreal House’, Act Art, and Visions of Excess. I worked on projects with the amazing Ron Athey and Lydia Lunch. I assisted and performed for Nicole Blackman, and L. Gabrielle Penabaz and met many other performance greats along the way. I shared billing with trailblazers like Kembra Pfahler, Marissa Carnesky and Kira O’Reily, and produced shows, such as ‘Deathtripping’ at Vivid Projects with work from Nick Zedd, Lydia Lunch and Richard Kern. I also had many performances and exhibitions solely in my own name, such as, ‘EostroxenEostrogen’, ‘Petticoat Nightmares’ and ‘Accused’ during which time I never stopped fighting the internal battle, and one way or another, it still pours out of me through creativity.
I am really proud of the work I achieved then and how it has led me to be the most transparent and eclectic version of my creative self that i can be. Something has shifted in me in recent months, and things artistically are falling back in to place.
I am looking to get a permanent space to work and show other’s works too, I’d like to work collaboratively with with like-minded people and bring together our talents as well as reforge my own path in the direction I am supposed to be on.
I am based in Worcestershire, England. I would be pleased to hear of opportunities both locally and internationally and be contacted by potential collaborators, organisations and patrons t about supporting and creating together.
By the way, i get my hair done here at the Courtyard Hair salon in Blackminster Evesham. That’s where the awesome photo came from (i stole it from facebook, and i hope that Emma, Kirsty and Rob don’t mind!).
We need to update it, it’s a lot yellower now which i LOVE!!
I am very pleased to be involved with this project and was interviewed for this magazine. An eclectic collection of art works, all with the theme Ruby Red. Of course, i take the brief quite literally and i have the ruby-bloodiness of my own emotion expressed on vintage wallpaper. There is a link to the magazine interview below and a link to the virtual exhibition too. It is possible to purchase the magazine here and prints can be bought from me directly.
