I use dress empty of the human form as a vehicle for story telling. I am interested in the ghostly presence of an empty garment and the fragile memories and histories evoked by it and how the empty garment creates a haunting sense of the presence/absence of a wearer or a life/time past. To convey a sense of the fragility of time garments are constructed from transparent and semi-transparent fabrics,
I use dress empty of the human form as a vehicle for story telling. I am interested in the ghostly presence of an empty garment and the fragile memories and histories evoked by it and how the empty garment creates a haunting sense of the presence/absence of a wearer or a life/time past. To convey a sense of the fragility of time garments are constructed from transparent and semi-transparent fabrics, and layered together suspended in a gallery or site-specific space. Text is central to my work, especially the imagery of dress and dressmaking as recorded in fairytales. A story can inspire a new body of work or can be embroidered directly onto a garment, such as tiny black words sewn onto a pair of organza gloves to form the map of a life. For a little black dress a poem was embroidered onto a stiffened mull. The mull was cut away, leaving a fabric of lacy black words. (Images telling tales and wallflower). The work is labour intensive and I treat each piece I make as an haute couture garment, which becomes part of an imaginary magical wardrobe.
Qualifications and training
1998 - Training For Artists In Schools, Institute Of Education, University Of London, London 1994 - Theatre Design Masters degree, Wimbledon School Of Art, Wimbledon, London SW19 1989 - Textile Postgraduate course, Winchester School Of Art, Winchester 1988 - Fashion And Textile BA Hons degree, GLoucester College Of Arts and Tecnology , Cheltenham 1985 - Art Foundation Course , Rochdale Art College, Rochdale
Solo exhibitions
2000 - Sharp Words, Gracefield Arts Centre , Dumfries, Scotland
Group exhibitions
2008 - Body Space, Tuille House, Carlisle, Cumbria 2006 - Making Words, Bilston Craft Gallery, Wolverhampton 2004 - Hats And Gloves, Leicester City Art Gallery, Leicester 2004 - Woken With A Kiss, Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, Hastings 2003 - Sample, Embroiderers Guild, The Williamson Gallery, Liverpool; The Dutch Museum Of Textile, Netherlands; Hall Place, Kent. 2000 - Source, The Royal Museum, Edinburgh
2001 - co-currated Princess SuSu, Shambellie House Museum Of Costume, Dumfriesshire , Scotland. Touring nationally.
Residencies
2000 - Artist In Residence, Creative Education Programme., Dumfries and Galloway
Competitions, prizes and awards
2001 - Award For Individual Development , The Scottish Arts Council, Scotland 2000 - Awards For Individual Development, The Scottish Arts Council, Scotland 2000 - Equipment Award, Arts Trust Of Scotland, Scotland
Educational experience
2012 - Embroidered Self Portraits, Paint Pots Nursery , London 2012 - Memories - Embroideries, St. Mary Abbots Primary School, London
Site specific
2003 - Telling Tales, Palladian Chapel, Gibside Estate, Gateshead
Publications 2008 - Embroidery Magazine, Volume 59. "Tales Of The Unexpected". 2006 - Crafts Magazine, No. 200. Critical Reviews, page 56. 2001 - Crafts Magazine, No. 172. Critical Review, page 56. 2001 - O Monografias, Issue 2. "A Princess SuSu", page 300. 1990 - International Textiles, No. 718. "Starting Points", page 100.
