‘I walk he walks, three steps behind due to a painful back. I slow down, to match his step but find myself speeding up again and forget to look back’

Walking at the lowest land point of the UK, 9 feet below sea level. Lend me a Looking Glass (2026) was formulated as Elizabeth spoke with her father about her apprehension at recognising that their time is limited compared to others her age.

While growing up her father was often mistaken as a grandparent, Elizabeth looks back at her younger self and attempts to re-evaluate her childhood feelings around ageing and anticipatory grief. Through self-portraits and constructed imagery, co-created in the space she grew up in, she seeks to understand the weight and unease of time moving forward.

Having established her own home, Elizabeth has found the space to confront her fears and no longer ignore the signs of ageing. Experiences need to be digested, integrated, before given form. Elizabeth gathers images that visualise an uncertain space, tight, heavy but unfixed. They form together as an uneasy passage of time. Felt and found. The project gives’ shape to the burden carried as a child and explores why she wanted to hide her father’s age for so many years. As she grew older, stronger, and more self-reliant, he became older, weaker, and less independent. Lend me a Looking Glass is a reflection on grief. There is a quiet sorrow watching the slow movement to an inevitable parting.