The work for this project is based on the theme of Wiltshire, a brief set for us during my studies on the HNC/D Textiles Programme at New College, Swindon. In the beginning of the project, we spent time researching Wiltshire broadly, visiting a variety of historical places such as Avebury, various white horses, Marlborough downs, and my hometown of Swindon, which is home to the Railway village and works. I've always been drawn to architecture and interesting, historical buildings, and I began looking at the Textile industry and mills in particular.
This led to the creation of my free machine drawings of mills within Wiltshire, such as Studley mill and Ashton mill, which still stand in Trowbridge today. I use a Bernina sewing machine, with a free motion foot to draw with stitch onto cotton, these are then stretched on a frame and can be hung.
During my research into the mills, I found more and more out about the kinds of conditions that not only adults had to sustain, but children too, some as young as five years of age. This lead to the creation of my wall hanging, consisting of photographs, printed through digital sublimation, free machine embroidery, and hand embroidery.
The hanging shows the children who worked in the mills and illustrates the kinds of injuries they sustained, with quotes taken from an interview with mill workers from the 1820's.
The work has been displayed as part of a group exhibition within the Swindon Designer Outlet Centre and at the Whitehorse Bookshop Gallery, in Marlborough, which was self organised, and my first exhibition independent of college, which has been very exciting and an amazing opportunity!
Exhibition at the Whitehorse Gallery Bookshop, Marlborough, March 2016.
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