As a child, the stories I loved were the ones about animals – folk tales, Aesop’s fables and Greek mythology. Fantastic beasts roamed my imagination as well as my dreams and nightmares, and they continue to play a vital role in the symbolism that my subconscious throws up in my dreams and nightmares to this day.
Closing my eyes at night opens the door to a kaleidoscope of fantasy where insects, birds and fish float in and out of the darkness – sometimes beautiful, sometimes magical and sometimes terrifying.
I wanted my block to show my childhood fascination with animals and the stories that can be woven around them and the way they can pop out of the darkness in the dream world. I also wanted to portray an element of menace – very many children grow up in homes where safety and comfort and the childhood idyll are not a reality.
By Alison Buckle
