A child’s imagination is a wonderful world filled with colour, excitement, and joy. Untroubled by the worries of adulthood, hurries of modern life, or pressure to conform to societal expectations, young children are free to be curious and courageously creative.

As adults we are often quick to feel victimised by our circumstances, failing to acknowledge just how much we can do about them. Trapped in a black-and-white world of to-dos and responsibilities, we have forgotten the playfulness of our true essence. We have allowed logic, fear, and limitation to cut off our connection to creative possibilities. By juxtaposing the trappings of adulthood with the carefree wonder of a child, Creative Confinement seeks to suspend the adult-child dichotomy that stifles imaginative creativity. Hayley invites viewers to tap into their childlike self, commit to unlearning the limitations of the world, and rediscover thier creative confidence. 

Hayley exhibited this sculpture as part of the Naarm Textile Collective group exhibition, Uncommon Threads. The exhibition was curated by Tamara Russell and presented at FortyFiveDownstairs Gallery in Melbourne, VIC, during October 2023.