Exhibition of work 'Ruffs and Collars' now showing.

17th March- 31st May 2012. Everybody Welcome!

Newark Park

Ozleworth

Wotton- under-Edge

Gloucestershire

GL12 7PZ

UK

I am a recently graduated artist whose current body of work is concerned with the natural world that lies around us, even in the most urban of settings, and the relationship that we have with it.

Through constructing with repetitive natural forms, such as leaves, buds, seeds and twigs, my work aims to disengage these objects from their everyday, overlooked context and emphasise the colours, textures and beauty that can be found in any environment if we become inquisitive enough.

The traditional lace collars, which these forms are based on, elevate the perspective of the natural materials used and place the potential wearer in direct contact with them. This arrangement suggests the long running existence of humans within the natural world. The equality of this relationship however is questioned by the detachable nature of the garment and hints towards the ambivalent relationship we often adopt with our surroundings.

Additionally, these traditional collars have inspired a wide range of patterns and methods for constructing. This, in combination with each unique quality of natural object used, has pushed the work beyond conventional textile methods and allowed a dialogue between form and material to emerge, which has guided the formation of the work.