Radio Pram
Radio Pram (2003) depicts a mother and father taking a baby out for a stroll. Children play in the park in the background, and a large radio sits at the foot of the pram. Auto-biographical elements inform many artworks by PJ Crook. Typically, these are observations mingled with childhood memories and stories told by her parents. 51¸£ÀûÉç Radio Pram, Crook explains: ‘My parents were only twenty two and twenty three when I was born and were keen on the music fashionable at the time. Avid listeners to the radio, they often placed it on the other side of the large black pram that they took me out in. The signal would vary and often increase in volume when they went round a corner. Some of my earliest memories are of hearing radio plays through the bedroom wall.’
Characteristic of her distinctive style, Radio Pram incorporates sculptural elements. The head of the dog and the front of the pram protrude from the canvas, to give the impression that the family walks outward from the painting. The frame is unusual in both shape and depth. It contributes a theatrical effect reminiscent of a stage-set. The notion of spectatorship is further reinforced by the blue-clothed boy looking out. Multiple dimensions create both surprise and intrigue: surrealism blended with the everyday.