Blog
A Celebration of Love with Cash Aspeek
14 February 2026
In April 2022, Aspeek was awarded a full DYCP Round 12 grant to further develop her Mattress Project. The first chapter culminated in two life-sized photographic works printed on organic cotton sheeting, addressing themes of ageing and commitment. The pieces were exhibited at Deptford X 2022/23 in London, and she was subsequently selected for The London Group Open exhibitions.
Aspeek sat down with Vispring to reflect on the inspiration behind deconstructing her parents’ mattress and what it came to represent.
“one day my mum asked me to take their mattress to the recycling tip. I asked my dad, out of curiosity, when they had purchased it as my mum couldn’t remember. He said it was just after they moved into their first home as a couple” Aspeek says.
”I couldn’t bring myself to take this historic item, imbued with so much meaning to the tip. As an artist I decided to explore it’s many facets and parts instead. I began by photographing my nonagenarian parents laying on their mattress. I wanted to capture the longevity of their marriage, the care and commitment they both held for each other.”
She later created a second photographic series using the dismantled mattress and its deconstructed components, arranged in a regal, poised manner, a nod to the name of their model, the Earl mattress.
This Valentine’s Day, we celebrate the role a mattress plays in every love story. Vispring itself was born from devotion: James Marshall created the first individually pocket-sprung mattress for his wife during her illness.
That same spirit of care, craftsmanship and commitment continues today, supporting love stories around the world, night after night.