Soft In The Head is a collection of ‘fabric illustrations’ that Olivia Parsonage has made during 2011. They capture her quirky sense of the absurdity of everyday living. There is a silent narrative to each piece that can be found while enjoying the sinister undertones sewn into each of the works. They are influenced by childhood tales of monsters and folklore fears of nature and animals and everyday moments that make up our human existence.
Each fabric illustration is created from the materials lying around in Parsonage's studio at Newcastle Community Arts Centre. Within this space, she knows her materials and can sort through their contents in search of a particular piece that will be the beginning of a work. She uses a variety of fabrics from heavy upholstery to lightweight cottons and breaks sewing conventions by joining these together.
All of Parsoange’s art is a dissection of her unique view of the world around her. “Life is ultimately ridiculous” she says, adding “In my opinion”.
