father bear & mother bear inside 'the three bears' house'

As a child I identified with certain storybook characters,
I’d imagine being in their place, living my life through theirs somehow.
On hearing “The Three Bears” story,
I identified with the bears and wanted to live in their home,
and be apart of their family.

‘the three bears’ house’ is a pink quilted yurt-like structure
with a spacious circular interior similar to a hollowed out tree.
‘the three bears’ house’ is created by hand as if by ‘the mother bear’ herself,
knitting, crocheting, weaving and sewing found materials together to build her home.

“The Three Bears” are defined by their domestic space.
The mother bear created the setting and the props for the story.
She is the sculptor, creating a magical space for her family.
Everything inside the three bears’ house has been custom-made for them;
every piece is “just right” for that character, in a sense, autobiographical to each bear.

So I have become the mother bear,
and set about building her home as she would.
I am not replicating a real house, I have sculpted their house…
the way I see it through her eyes.
Their home is a self-portrait, everything is being customized for these bears.

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Performance by Marisa Dipaola