This piece I have called ” Ancient Textile Nr.1″ and has been inspired by my lifelong fascination for the life cycle of textiles as they fall apart and then get re-used in other ways. This has inspired a theme I call ” things that fall apart and things that come together” . This piece is made up entirely of bits of things that I have saved, found or been given. Bits of old sewing projects, threads I have saved, bits and pieces that have been stored away for moments of creativity.
I have been a maximalist my whole life, I save things in drawers and cupboards. For me it is sheer pleasure to look through and be inspired by these bits and pieces, and to use them or make someone else happy with them. I am unhappy in a minimalist environment, just not enough colour, not enough life around me. I love and appreciate the layers that my life has built up over the years, a constant source of inspiration and discovery.
This piece was made with water soluble film. I layered threads and pieces of leftover material on this base and then stitched all together, then washed the water soluble film away. This left a basic material to work with, a kind of cloth made up of bits and pieces of scraps. Then I started with layering with stitch and adding to it, it just kept on developing. It reminded me of an ancient piece of textile falling apart so you get glimpses of what it was made of originally.
Hand sewn and madeusing: water soluble film, silk thread, metallic sweet wrappers, Indian embroidery scarps, holographic plastic, embroidery thread, plastic, metal gauze, organza, ribbon and other found bits and pieces. ( size 46×29 cm ) 2017
