WhiteFeather was selected from over 800 applicants to be the upcoming artist-in-residence at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle (Cornwall), UK, funded by a Friends of the Museum Travel Bursary, a Graduate Women WA (Western Australia) Joyce Riley Bursary, a UWA Postgraduate Student Association Fieldwork/Data Collection Award, and a UWA Graduate Research School Travel Award.

Residency statement:

My PhD research investigates the scientific and cultural implications for tissue culture using my own menstrual fluid. I use extracted components from the menstrual fluid for in vitro experimentation with cell culture and tissue engineering. This research is conducted within critical science philosophy frameworks including feminist negotiations of the culture of science, and barriers to research by women, particularly when using ‘taboo’ body materials. Rooted in contemporary biotechnologies, but with an eye to historical precedent, I also investigate cultural manifestations of witchcraft as forms of feminist resistance to medicalized control over women’s bodies.

In October 2022, I will be hosted for an artistic research residency at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle, Cornwall, UK. During the residency, I will enjoy exclusive access to the museum’s unique collection of historical texts, including rare primary texts (non-digitized) that I will scour for evidence of the intersections of witchcraft and science, a core concept of my thesis. I will also work with their collection of objects, including magical and medical devices, as well as historical artworks. The residency will culminate at Halloween. The artworks and texts generated during the residency are planned for publication and/or exhibition in Cornwall, with more details TBA.

Read more on the museum website, here.