West Dean Artist-in-Residence, Michelle Ussher, makes paintings, ceramics, textiles and sounds that hint at the mischievous. Her work aims to decolonise symbolic representations of the female by finding new perspectives that re-imagine existing Western European thought and its art objects. Ussher’s proposal also references Edward James’s time in Mexico and highlights his friendship with Leonora Carrington.

Following two recent exhibitions at Australia's leading museums, TarraWarra Museum and the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Ussher will use the Carrington material at West Dean as inspiration to develop performances around the College grounds, whilst creating new ceramic and crochet works that will be incorporated into costumes and performative objects.