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Workshop

For the EM25 residency, I focused on local ecologies in Nottingham, spanning from personal and local to historical and universal, which connect us to our surroundings.

When understanding the term “ecologies”, I wanted to explore the simplicities of my environment: the dirt under our feet. The smaller tapestry was taped to the floor of the entrance to the studios for approximately 3 weeks, gathering dust and dirt from the residency inhabitants and guests for workshops. The larger tapestry was walked on and dragged through the gallery building and my garden at home. All these marks and footprints represent my time on the residency, as well as my relationship with the city and my home.

The lace industry is a key feature of Nottingham’s place in the industrial world. Using patterns gathered from Nottingham Castle and the Wollaton Hall Industrial Museum, I pixelated lace designs onto paper, something that modernises them while also referencing how designs were originally created. I also looked at wrought iron gate designs, something I often find in my local area, and when pixelated, have a similar design to lace.

I then translated my drawing of lace and iron gates onto the material using squares of masking tape. I thought back to my studio at university and would often find tape on the floor, which, when removed, would leave behind a trace, only made by the dirt collected around it. Except only the randomness of this happening, I was able to simulate this within the Surface Gallery studios. I also used charcoal to transfer one of my taped designs from a wrought iron gate at Wollaton Park, dating back to 1790.

Installing the work, I decided to hang it centrally in the space. This allowed the fabric to sway with passersby, emulating the movement made when creating the work.

Photographed by Leon Parker-Limb.