Mapping Time and Form
Exploring and mapping the transition of human habitation forms and boundaries, from Bronze Age to the 21st century, within the context of sections from the Ordinance Survey maps of Dartmoor.
Looking at landscape, and human habitation in the world, these textile works reconsider our relationship with the Earth, exploring it from a new 'view' or 'point of view', other than that of the painter, or potter.
They are also personal reflections upon the hierarchy of the arts, of outdated distinctions between 'Art' and 'Craft', the history and position of embroidery, and the ideology of each in relation to women.
Humankind's interaction with the natural world, and the concept of land 'ownership', has developed over millennia, leaving distinct, visible traces upon the landscape. The ubiquitous Ordinance Survey maps of Great Britain show a wealth of information in this regard. A section from a simple 4 square inches of paper reveals the evolution of human habitation forms and boundaries, from Bronze Age to the 21st century.
They are also personal reflections upon the hierarchy of the arts, of outdated distinctions between 'Art' and 'Craft', the history and position of embroidery, and the ideology of each in relation to women.
Humankind's interaction with the natural world, and the concept of land 'ownership', has developed over millennia, leaving distinct, visible traces upon the landscape. The ubiquitous Ordinance Survey maps of Great Britain show a wealth of information in this regard. A section from a simple 4 square inches of paper reveals the evolution of human habitation forms and boundaries, from Bronze Age to the 21st century.
OS maps are translated into embroidery on cloth, to reveal changes in our relationship to the environment, changes in our organisation of social structures; the stitches are a metaphor for the passing of time. The embroideries map the movement from the curve and circle to the right angle in so many aspects of our build environment.
Cross Section
Exploring the layers of documentation and layers of information to be found within 4 square inches of an Ordinance Survey map; unpicking and restitching the information layer by layer.
Each layer is a layer of information, of history, and of time passing, in stitch.
Each layer is a layer of information, of history, and of time passing, in stitch.
wool embroidery thread on cotton wadding