Daisy Chain: The loop of one life into another (2023)
This filmed performance is dedicated to my Mother Annelise, who took her own life in April of 2022.
Echoing the act of a funeral or wedding procession, I take 52 steps forward, placing a daisy on each step. One for every year of her life. I then place 35 daisies in a circle, creating a garland or daisy chain: a symbol of celebration and memorial, of innocence and youth. The total of 87 daisies is equal to the average life expectancy of a woman born in the UK in 1969.
The soundtrack is my own rendition of Danny Boy, one of my Mother’s favourite songs, which is often sung at funerals and links to our Irish heritage.
A Letter In construction (2022)
A Letter in Construction, was filmed during Benson’s visit to Northern Ireland with her grandparents in March of 2022. Highlighting iconic landmarks from Belfast, (London)Derry and the Giant’s Causeway; the narrator of the film discusses the conflict of longing to connect with their family history whilst also maintaining their individual moral values.
Finding Joy (2022)
This is the second film within the Finding Joy series, where Benson visited her family church for an improvised performance. The audio was recorded separately a few weeks later by the artist at night in bed. Benson reflects on what her intentions were for the project, which in turn becomes part of the work – in a diaristic, deconstruction of the artistic process itself.
She's Leaving Home (2022)
The first film of Benson’s Finding Joy Series, She’s Leaving Home follows a narrative of returning to one’s childhood home, through documentary ‘home-movie’ style footage. These seemingly authentic and sentimental moments lead toward a performed poem at the end. Coupled with the ongoing conversations with her Mum off-screen, alongside fragmented audio bites, there is an underlying tension between the intimacy of the encounter and the film’s construction itself.
Reckless Love (2022)
