To Have and To Hold

Designed as an immersive walk-through experience, To Have and To Hold investigates the fine line between glamour and gross that is wedding aesthetics. This series of works sprung from an interest in the cultural history of western 'white' weddings and it's legacy beyond its traditional meanings and values. All items used in the work have been foraged from Op Shops, the Tip and the Street and were once owned and loved. These pieces are curated with quotes, statistics and other written documentation on the historic violence against women that marriage has 'justified' in the past. THe result of this investigation, however, wasn't ant-marriage. Rather, the emergence of a new wedding aesthetic more democratised by other cultures and gay marriage has emerged. Further, the symbolism present in current wedding ceremony is largely misunderstood by the public engaging in it and has become largely a parody of traditional marriage.