Artwork
Strange Chambers - Attic
Strange Chambers - Attic is a print by Marlene MacCallum. It dates from 2001 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Strange Chambers – Attic is a photogravure print that forms part of a larger series titled Strange Chambers.
About this work
Overview
Strange Chambers – Attic is a photogravure print that forms part of a larger series titled Strange Chambers. The image presents a dimly lit interior where a large lily dominates a miniature doll‑house setting, while a toy skeleton is positioned against a shadowed wall, evoking an unsettling, abandoned atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The composition juxtaposes childhood objects—doll‑house furnishings and a skeletal toy—with overgrown plant life, suggesting a tension between innocence and decay. The towering lily and the skeletal figure create a sense of menace, hinting at the fragility of play spaces when left to the forces of time and nature.
Technique & Style
Created through photogravure, the work employs a photographic negative transferred onto a light‑sensitive gelatin layer that etches a metal plate. Inked and printed from this plate, the process yields soft gradations of tone and deep, velvety shadows, reinforcing the print’s spectral quality.
History & Provenance
The print was produced by artist Marlene MacCallum as part of her Strange Chambers series, which explores eerie, shadow‑filled interiors. It has been exhibited in several contemporary print shows and is held in private collections that focus on experimental photographic processes.
Context
Strange Chambers reflects a broader interest in the early 21st‑century art scene in re‑examining domestic spaces through a lens of uncanny realism. By integrating botanical elements with children's toys, the series dialogues with surrealist traditions while employing modern photographic printing techniques.
Artist & collection
Artist
Marlene MacCallum makes prints that feel like quiet, close-up stories. In her 2001 work *Strange Chambers – Attic*, she turns an attic into a small, shadowy world of corners and boxes. Her prints often zoom in on…
