Choosing materials for textile artwork that say something

Cynthia

The choice of materials is central to my textile artwork; it is essential to me that the deepen the narrative behind the work. For that reason my art often features non-traditional textile materials such as wood or metal. I like to explore and push the boundaries of these materials, using them to convey the story, emotion and connection to the work.

In the piece above, Cynthia, the materials are used to convey the fragility of life and aging. Cynthia is older, she's looking back at her life with fondness and remembering times when she was younger. Like her, the memories are a little frayed around the edges and a little creased in places. This is reflected in the choice of materials, pre-loved and frayed, connected together with intentional creasing. The stitches chosen convey a journey, one Cynthia has taken through her life with both ups and downs.

Sieved Daydreams

Sieved Daydreams, above, is inspired by and explores the roles of women who are or who feel constrained by domesticity and social expectations. The wooden vintage sieve was chosen as it's an iconic part of a kitchen and therefore reflects the stereotypical image of it's women who cook. (I'm not saying here that I uphold this belief, but am exploring it through art) The sieve deepens the narrative behind the artwork of the woman who is daydreaming about all of the things she would love to do, yet can't.

textile artwork on naturally dyed fabrics

Sometimes in artwork, it is important to provide the narrative in relation to a place. In this case naturally dyeing fabric using plants and flowers found in that place provides an added layer of story and connection.

There are many ways of developing the narrative of a piece of textile artwork and just a small number feature in this blog post. I'd love to hear your thoughts or how you have added narrative using materials in artwork in the comments below.