This work is part of the on-going work on Waste Embellishment – Research from a waste recycling unit. Empty fridge with fridge magnets.
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Magnetic Elvis
Solar Grease
‘Solar Grease’ – The triptych is part of a larger body of work based on discarded materials. At first sight the triptych looks sumptuous and reminiscent of heavenly bodies but the impetus is taken from commercial used cooking fats; things are not always what they seem.
We Warned You: but you din’t LISTEN
What Does a WOMAN have to do
to be BELIEVED?
The work is a response to a sexual attack on an 89 year old woman by a male 25 years her junior. The attack took place in her home in what should have been the safe environment of Sheltered Housing. Not only was the woman not believed, her character was brought into focus.
Working with orange felt I created a diaphanous over garment with black felt applique of an all-pervasive male character. The text that covers the work is taken from communications with the Police and Sheltered Housing organisation.
As the statement that the woman gave to the police was belittled and her measured dialogue ultimately ignored. I was left wondering ‘What does a WOMAN have to o to be BELIEVED?’ and chose to record this alarming event through ART.
Work first shown at 35 Chapel Walk Gallery Sheffield ‘Fighting Talk’ part of Sheffield’s SheFest 2nd -15th March 2018
Initial design work
Initial Design Work
The long process of making the garment
Appliqué work
Hand embroidery and machine stitching
Magnetic Elvis – Waste Embellishment
Canvas detail hand embroidery, gold leaf and digital printing
100 YEARS
100 YEARS – *The Sheet Glass Carriers – The GlassBlower – *The Glass Tube Carrier
*Black and white images courtesy of the IWM (Imperial War Museum) Right hand side image http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205087810 Left hand side image http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205288698
The work has finally come together on exhibit at ‘The World of Glass’ St Helens in the Textile 21 Group exhibition ‘Light Fantastic’ which runs from the 3rd September 2016 until 4th November 2016. Many thanks to the gallery staff and in particular the curator Hannah Longworth and Niki The Glassblower my muse. I presented the curator and her team with a difficult task and they made an excellent job of hanging both ‘100 Years’ and ‘There But Not There -Glass Shadows’
Niki ‘The Glassblower’ my muse what a woman and of course me besides her.
There But Not There – Glass Shadows
There But Not There
A series of 3 pieces of work for a site-specific exhibition at ‘The World of Glass’, St Helens – ‘Light Fantastic’ with the group Textile 21.
The work looks at two aspects of glass; firstly its physical nature that allows it to be both seen through and also its ability to cast extraordinary shadows.
Initial work began in a photography darkroom using camera-less photography techniques, producing Photograms; as I felt this technique most clearly illustrated the idea concept of a material that was there but not there.
The second stage was to use the photograms as a blueprint for the 3 pieces of experimental textiles using layers of felt, printing medium, hand embroidery and pure gold and silver sheets.
Photogram of Glass Object – Design 1
Photogram Glass Objects – Design 2
Given the PhotoShop treatment
100 YEARS – The Glass Blower
The second aspect looks at two points in time over a hundred-year period where the central characters are women. The three pieces of work in this section are designed to visually interact with each other.
The central canvas is an image of a female glassblower within her workspace; the image is blurred as the furnaces and the molten glass visually fuse the image. The work is a combination of hand embroidery and digital print.
The silk chiffon printed work located on either side of the large canvas feature mono prints of woman working in Pilkington’s Glass works during the First World War. Women replaced male workers at this time and their work was skillfully carrier out. However with the men returning after the war recognition of their abilities were overlooked and they went back to a their lesser roles.
What I wanted from the triptych was the feel of energy generated by these strong and purposeful women set 100 years apart and recognition of how far we as a community have travelled.
100 Years – The Glassblower
Christmas and Mid-Winter
Muy Fragil – Christmas Card
The idea for this year’s card had its beginnings in our friends’ apartment in Usera Madrid. They had recently acquired a kitten and had built a little cardboard hidy place for the kitten. The kitten in turn had pulled a little woolen toy over to the box and left the toy looking over into the void of the box.
The image has been montaged with other disparate Christmas items like deflated father Christmases etc. the textile element takes the idea of parcels and cardboard boxes a little further with the words ‘Muy Fragile’ embroidered on felt and the inside of the soft material card given the glitzy treatment with a bit of gold here and there.
The final touch for the recipient of the card is a bubble wrap coat with white string.
Happy Mid-Winter Festival to all
Chinese Imperial Yellow and Soft Cloud Mattresses
Digital print on cotton poplin with red embroidery silk
Many thanks to ‘Strippex’ Crewe for allowing the photo-shoot to take
place outside their workshop.
Dress detail
‘The Sad Demise of 2 Mattresses’
‘The Sad Demise of 2 Mattresses’ – final piece
Digital print and embroidery silks 73 cm x 73 cm
Detail of centre mattress 1
Detail of centre mattress 2
Top line detail
Lower line detail 1
Lower line detail
