I remember watching TV after school and when I was ill, I really loved watching TV.

When I was very young, I watched Pingu, and the Teletubbies, Bill and Ben, the Flowerpot Men. Obviously I loved Winnie the Poo. And then films like the Jungle Book. Mostly I watched them because they were  quite comforting because I had a tendency to rewatch programs again and again when I was little. You watch something again and again, and you know what's going to happen. There are no surprises. There's no stress or anxiety. And it didn’t take much to stress me out. 

I also have a memories of watching the news in the evenings, but I don't think that happened that often. I think it's just one of those memories that's exaggerated in my mind. I mostly just remember the Iraq war and Madeline McCann and the 911 memorials they had every September.

I feel like I have a lot of autonomy in the photographs. I recognize myself in them. I don’t feel like a passive character in the photos. I have my expressions and I have control by being who I am. That is the determining factor in the pictures. 

There are toys all around and the carpet is dusty and the sofa is old. It reminds me of a child’s version of  Tracy Emin's bed. It's that same idea of a representation of mundane life. But she’s showing a messy,  dysfunctional adult life, whether this is showing the safety and comfort of being a child. I think if you’re a girl you'll understand that experience of growing up as a girl and having  different outfits, and the stuffed animals and drawings which have been cast aside.

At the end of the day when I was tired or when I was ill, the sofa was a place of comfort. It’s the same as watching television, it's soothing being somewhere comfortable and being able to lie down.

 

It's like a second bed. It was a second bed.