Utility

2013 – Craft in the Bay 2013: www.makersguildinwales.org.uk
An exhibition inspired by shapes and forms of everyday tools and utensils.

‘WORK TOOLS’
In response to the title ‘Utility” I have chosen to replicate my fathers work tools. My father joined the Cardiff Boat Building Company, situated on the Bute Dry Dock in 1945 at the age of 14 as an apprentice boat builder. Here he learned the traditional craft of boatbuilding using a set of tools, which he still uses today, 68 years later.

For me these tools hold a very powerful meaning. They are not only functional but also beautiful to look at and to hold having been worn and molded to my father’s hands after so many years of use.  Their well-used surfaces hold a hidden history of the many boats that they once crafted and I believe these tools also reveal the strong personal union between the craftsman and his tools.

When the Cardiff Boat Building Company had to close down in 2003/4 to make way for the development of the Bay I managed to rescue the original hand written order book for all the boats made and repaired between 1919 – 1983. My father’s tools would have been used to craft many of the boats listed in this book and I therefore decided to link together the order book and the tools by making a set of work tools using the technique of Papier Mache.

Using colour copies of pages from the order book the paper was molded around the tools one half at a time in order to closely capture their shape and form. Once dry the two halves were joined together to complete the shape. Screw heads, rivets and metal rims were then applied to add authentic detail to the final forms.

My final piece is a celebration of the partnership between the craftsman and his tools which, together result in beautiful hand crafted work.

Linen Futures

2015 – R-Space Gallery, Northern Ireland. www.rspacelisburn.com

This collaborative exhibition celebrates craft and design practice based on the past, current and future landscape of Irish linen. Ten local textile-oriented practitioners and ten Celtic neighbours in Wales embraced past heritage and modern style, developing novel techniques and customization including felt making, embroidery, natural dying and digital finishes.
Linen Futures aims to communicate the value of textiles, eroded through globalization, by encouraging design that emphasizes longevity, durability and the timeless quality of linen. Collaborative practice will foster the design and making of products that demonstrate potential for the future production of multiples.

‘TITANIC’

Following a meeting with Johnny Andrews, who has family links to the Titanic and the Irish Linen trade, I decided to draw my inspiration from Titanic’s fascinating story.

The focus of my work was to combine the glamour and opulence of the early 20th century with the serene beauty of the Ship’s now decaying form. In order to create my designs I used photographs of Titanic’s historic artefacts and interior details and developed them into contemporary patterns using computer manipulation.

The patterns were then silkscreen printed onto Irish linen and further embellished using stitch and beading to give the designs added luxury. Irish linen was extensively used on the Titanic for tableware and bedding because of its reputation for high quality.

I hope that my work will inspire further commercial usage of linen and encourage a greater future for the Irish linen trade.

Apron Strings

2015 – St Donat’s Arts Centre, vale of Glamorgan: www.stdonats.com/gallery

Members of the textile group, MaP (Makers’ and Practitioners – www.mapgroup.org.uk) have taken the theme of aprons and pinafores – nowadays affectionately called ‘pinnies’ – for this exhibition which encompasses a multitude of techniques such as hand and machine stitching, printing and laser cutting.

The pinnies’ initial appearance of sweet nostalgia, however, belies the underlying themes occupying the makers’ lives as they respond to personal issues such as motherhood, depression or rites of passage. Workwear pinafores sit alongside historically-inspired pieces such as the fantastical Elizabethan-ruffed example and Suffragette dolls whose pinnies sport political slogans.
Several include delicately-worked subversive text which well rewards the time it takes to read.

This exhibition is an edited version of the ‘PINNIES FROM HEAVEN’ exhibition
2014 – Craft in the Bay, Cardiff. www.makersguildinwales.org.uk
2015 – LLantarnam Grange Arts Centre. www.lgac.org.uk

‘WE’LL MEET AGAIN’
My pinny has been designed to represent the heartache of the many women who had to say farewell to their loved ones during World War II, uncertain of what the future may hold.

It features the words to the song ‘We’ll meet again’, which became very popular during the Second World War. The song resonated with soldiers going off to fight for the freedom of their families and was often sung by the troops as they waved goodbye.

Many soldiers did not survive to see their loved ones again and therefore the song though seen as an optimistic moral booster for the troops, did not specify where or when they would meet again. For many, this would have been seen as Heaven.

The lyrics have been hand embroidered using couch stitch in typical camouflage colours and the shades that represent the uniforms of all the forces. Images, postcards, love letters and military items such as buttons, badges and medal ribbons have been added to the pinny. Often such items were all anyone had to remember their loved ones by and they were therefore cherished and held close.

For me personally I find the song ‘We’ll meet again’ an uplifting reminder of my grandmother. When I was a child taught me to sing all her favourite wartime songs and tell me lots of stories of her wartime experiences, many of them very funny and spirited despite the harshness of the times.