The Little Apple first came to life in photographic works artist Ufuoma Urie had created that explored myths to do with creation and destruction. The symbol of the wounded, "pin-cushion" apple as an inanimate object who is capable of showing emotion as hero/saviour/sacrifice began to feature prominently in narratives the artist had written. As a symbol in myth, fairytale and religious texts, the apple has represented temptation: an alluring yet tainted object not appearing as it seems: that which is desired which ultimately unsettles those who come into contact with it.
The apple developed a persona in its own right, acting as protector of souls and guardian to the children or rather the hand-crafted child sized dolls. The dolls are a visual combination of foetus/toddler and skeleton. Their faces are not fully formed. They are without key facial features which may render them monstrous yet they are creatures of beauty. They look the way they do because they inhabit the place in between life and death. They are meant to represent a border: they are not dead but they certainly are not alive! One would imagine that each doll character has had a similar experience to the Little Girl in the story and has ended up in between places.
The appearance of Kook came about when Urie became frustrated with being in an environment (art college) where every word that was uttered had to be questioned and intellectualized. This may make for interesting conversation but after a while becomes tiresome and repetitive. Kook is a reaction towards this and a kind of homage to the books one reads as child. The character, herself a child of the inbetween place states her sentences and repeats herself, listing all the activities she engages in, with humour and child like innocence.
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