2026
The Handbag
Overview
Inspired by the poem ‘I Am My Lady’s Handbag’ by Elizabeth (Lily) Wood. Keira playfully reimagines the inner world of a handbag, by personifying these everyday objects. She transports viewers into her surrealist vision of fashion and editorial, transforming the mundane into the extraordinary. Through this, she crafts three wearable sculptures using soft, complementary fabrics, reminiscent of those found on bags while reflecting on her own experience of womanhood within this light-hearted tone. Drawing on the surrealist films ‘The Fisherman’s Daughter’ and ‘The Holy Mountain’, she constructs sequences with minimal action, instead focusing on the visual composition of each scene and the placement of the characters to create painterly, tableau-like shots. The film follows three unsuspecting objects as they transcend into madness as the object’s identities begin to blur as they are jostled and rearranged within the bag, performing ritualistic routines and dances hidden from the awareness of their owner. Through this layered approach, the work ultimately invites the viewer to question the boundaries between object and self, reality and imagination, transforming the handbag from a functional accessory into a site of narrative, transformation, and quiet surrealism.
Contributers
Keira Molloy · Gracie Molloy · Lizzie Vischer · Evie Craig
Stills
