I am a fabric-centred artist exploring feminist history through both my maternal lineage and the long continuum of women’s labour. My work begins with an interest in the tension between soft femininity and the physical intensity of hand-making textiles. By limiting my colour palette to warm, fleshy tones, punctuated occasionally with blues and greens, I construct abstract bodily forms that reflect the strain and endurance of labouring female bodies. These visual choices foreground the relationship between material, process, and the lived experience of women’s work.
A significant influence within my practice is my great-grandmother, Lily, the earliest working woman in my family that I have come to know. She served as a W.R.E.N during the Second World War, later working as a secretary skilled in shorthand, while also maintaining a remarkable practice as a seamstress. Her life represents a convergence of domestic skill, intellectual labour, and wartime service. I draw upon her experiences through my material processes, particularly in the use of soap and wet felting, which echo her work cleaning fighter jets and engaging in physically demanding tasks. These repetitive, tactile actions allow me to connect with her history while embedding my own bodily effort into each piece.
Language and symbolism of wrought iron play a subtle yet significant role. Historically, the language of Shorthand was associated with women in secretarial roles, it represents both communication and coded knowledge. My great-grandmother’s name, when written in shorthand, closely resembles the symbol for “labour.” Additionally, the use of wrought iron fencing extends these themes of labour and material transformation. The term “wrought” itself, meaning “worked/laboured,” aligns with my focus on effort and making. The fibrous quality of wool, combined with water and soap, mirrors the solidity and permanence of iron structures, creating a dialogue between softness and strength, impermanence and endurance, all connected to my great-grandmother Lily.
