‘Alternative Family Trees’- Research Residency 23-26th July 2009

Abi Lake

Abi Lake is a Manchester based artist and performer, who has just completedan MA at Liverpool Hope University.

In July 2009 I spent a 3 day residency at The Institute for the Artand Practice of Dissent at Home, with the intention of experiencingand exploring ideas of ‘family’; how it is structured and defined,and the political and creative potential of a ‘family unit’.

I am interested in looking at alternative family structures, andalternative family trees. Alternative to what exactly is up fordiscussion, as I believe the ‘normal’ family unit is a myth, but onethat continues to be perpetuated and sold back to us in mainstream,hetero-normative consumer culture.

I am a lesbian and a feminist who has come from one particularfamily, been part of several other ‘families’ along the way, and isnow considering one day starting/extending another family of her own…

With this in mind, I joined The Institute as a research trip, withthe intention of integrating and experiencing the Simic-Anderson’sspecific family life, in order to consider the above issues. I spenttime with the kids and each family member separately, and as a group.We engaged in discussion, play and work, exchanging ideas andstories. We watched home-videos from Branka’s visit as an Au Pair,and Neal’s Yr 3 class performance. I looked after Neal and Gabrielduring the days while Lena, Gary and Sid were at work and nursery,and earned £115 for childcare during these hours. This formed partof my (self assigned) ‘family duties’ during my stay. We also took afamily day trip to Blackpool on the train.Below are some extracts and images from the journal I kept during myvisit:

Some questions I asked Gabriel and Neal during a game of ‘Monopoly’:

What is your favourite family meal? N- Indian! G- Chinese!

Favourite family day out? N- Southport- the fairground! (Gary alsomentions this later, in Blackpool). G- Chester Zoo! Protect theanimals!

Who is in charge of your family? G- Gary. N- Sid. G- Oh yeah, Sid is in charge!

What is family? N- A way of saying mum, dad, dad and kids. G- Brothers and sisters and cousins.(Later, while we are playing) N- Maybe all mammals are family? Maybe everyone is cousins?

Some more thoughts & journal extracts:

• Talking about Marx & Engels. Feminist Marxist perspectives &problem & complexities of ‘heroes’- e.g. Was Engelshomophobic? Marie Stopes’ work on family planning & sexeducation, but also in eugenics…

• Family Law- in place to protect heteronormative, nuclearfamily?

• Putting the Star Wars films in order with the kids & discussingthe complicated family structures of the characters!

• How my position shifts within the group from friend, playmate,observer, babysitter or parental type roles.

• Neal & Gabi’s brotherly solidarity during play- ‘If you needme, reach out!’ (Monster tag game in garden). I am exhausted,unfit, but very happy!

• (Me-)‘A kind of selfish satisfaction, a sense of achievement inactivities like making lunch, watching the kids play, negotiateand resolve tantrums together…’- How my sense of time & selfaltered during these ‘domestic’ periods. The luxury of atransient position within this very intense domestic work/playdynamic. Intensely enjoyable- I am very happy! (In the shortterm, as an outsider?), and intensely absorbing- how toreconcile this with other areas of life? How not to lose yourother selves? Feminism, ‘women’s work’, domestic spheres…

• Financial transparency- payment for childcare, earnings whichwere only available because of this specific family structure.Tracing how this money disperses within my own two personfamily, while neither of us are working, but living offredundancy pay.

Outcomes?

Primarily the lived experience of, and insights into, thisparticular family structure. Encounters and exchanges withindividual family members, and as a ‘family unit’.

References gained for further study- books, theorists, artists,legal definitions, contacts, organisations etc. to help me in myresearch.

The journal I kept. As documentation of the residency this detailswhat we did, what we discussed, where we went, and my thoughts,notes and images along the way. This is raw material and researchfor my ongoing creative project ‘Alternative Family Trees’.

This residency also formed part of the process for my most recentperformance ‘Elvis is my Mum’- a re-consideration of my own familytree, exposing and queering the term ‘family’ to include andcelebrate a wider definition of what this might mean.