Playing Kate

Playing Kate is a PaR project aligned to Jodie’s PhD research titled Mother-trouble-makers: revolting maternal subjects and public performances of the family in austerity Britain. The research will consider famous public families in relation to the different ways in which they perform austerity ideals e.g. performances of aspiration, family values, good society, the working family, the good mother and maternal thrift. In Playing Kate Jodie re-stages moments from her own maternal experience through the guise of the Duchess of Cambridge. Playing Kate is a practical frame encompassing multiple artistic outputs, including performances, videos, photographs and public appearances. These projects conflate two vastly differing maternal realities, exploring how Jodie’s own maternal subjectivity is defined by the public performances of the Duchess of Cambridge.

Whilst Middleton and the new Royals attempt to appear just like us, here I am performing just like her as she tries to perform just like me.