DAISY HOLLEY

ARTIST STATEMENT

My work explores health anxiety and bodily discomfort through costume and film, and is rooted in personal experiences with psychosomatic distress. I approach health anxiety not as a clinical concept, but as a lived, physical experience; where the mind convinces the body that something is wrong. The costume in the film visualises and externalises the bodily organs. Made from soft sculptures, the costume is restrictive, suffocating, and creates a distorted appearance of the human form, mirroring a distorted perspective caused by anxiety. The tightness of the costume restricts movement and feels claustrophobic. This sense of panic triggers the fight or flight response, inducing hyper awareness of every single feeling or action. The costume became my canvas to express the feeling of psychosomatic distress, to feel every nerve, faster breath, increased heartbeat, tightening in the chest. The film resists a linear narrative, reflecting how anxiety is erratic, without logic or structure. And movement becomes a language of discomfort. This work is deeply personal. It’s not just about creating discomfort, but giving a form to something unseen and acknowledging how deeply anxiety can affect my relationship with my body. 

EMAIL:

Daisyholleyart@gmail.com