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SAMPLE

showing with art of the STITCH

Lesley Mitchison

Williamson Art Gallery & Museum, Birkenhead 30 August - 12 October 2003
The Dutch Textile Museum, Tilburg, Netherlands 8 November - 22 February 2004
Hall Place, Bexley, Kent 13 March - 30 May 2004

The concept for this exhibition was born out of a seminar called 'Blurring the Boundaries'. Artists working in any medium were invited to submit proposals to develop their work beyond their current practice using the theme or medium of stitch. Eleven artists were selected out of a submission of one hundred proposals, some - established users of stitch; others completely new to the medium - were challenged to significantly develop their work through, or with reference to, embroidery.

The result is an exciting mix of artists' work with half of the group being established fine art practitioners and the remainder, established textile artists. For the fine artists, SAMPLE introduced an entirely new palette of references and methods and, of the five artists already working as textile artists, each has introduced a new dimension to their work. All of the artists have strong concepts behind their work; the application of the idea is paramount in how we read these works, formats that range from performance and installation to abstract painting and digital technology that all embrace the hand crafted elements of stitch.

Questioning the value of the handmade gesture is evident in the work of Maggie Ayliffe, Joan Schulze and Jennifer Wright; these artists are using direct references to the craft skills of stitch. Joan Schulze's intentions are to expose the workings of the stitch in quilting so we can view the linear and poetic nature of the stitched thread. Jennifer Wright's plastic hama bead references epitomise the pixel qualities of technology and act as a direct comparison to the tradition of stitch. Maggie Ayliffe also uses a technological approach to her interpretation of cross-stitch, which she calls 'the humblest of stitches'.

Michael Brennand-Wood states 'the assimilation of stitch patterning from one group to another reveals much in anthropological terms about our spiritual, cultural and sociological history'. This could also be applied to the work of David Mabb, who has attempted to overturn the traditional values of William Morris in creating pieces that contrast with the embellished and richly patterned Morris era.

Julian Walker unpicks child-made samplers from the 1780s, a process he says '... has been difficult to explain to some people'. But it is this interpretation of the present through the past, history, memory and the labours of love and necessity - themes that explore the work of remaking and reworking - that reoccur often in the context of textile art and textile history.

I particularly enjoyed the 21st-century quotes on Walker's samplers: 'I need more time. Parent late 40's'.
The labour of love and necessity is also prevalent in the work of Rozanne Hawksley who has used her own social history in the making of an installation, which in essence tells the story of a sailor's collar.

Keiren Reed and Abigail Hunt are the only artists working in collaboration for SAMPLE. Their work encompasses the practice of making with performance and photography, these are social banners and echo the sentiments of stitching for necessity.
The majority of the work in SAMPLE is two dimensional in its presentation with the exception of Suzanne Langston-Jones and Zimeon Jones who explore the three-dimensional nature of stitch with reference to garment shape. In the case of Zimeon Jones, it is in the application of light to his embroidered structures that creates depth and volume in the fabric. Suzanne Langston-Jones creates simple, uncluttered garment images integrating text into the structure and seams of the garment and bringing together performance and the textile arts.

SAMPLE is a great idea and one that should be repeated. It has added another dimension to the art of the STITCH exhibition and another dimension to the Embroiderers' Guild.

A fully illustrated colour catalogue, art of the STITCH and SAMPLE, is available from the Embroiderers' Guild, Whitworth Art Gallery; Gallery of Costume, Manchester; Harley Gallery; and the Crafts Council Bookshop, priced £7.95.