This two-part project was a huge development within my practice. The exhibitions Lost in Lace and Bitesize demanded opposite scales of work. Lost in Lace coincided with my experimentation with new materials, including hair (dog, horse, cat and human). After constructing the textile, the pieces were then gradually destroyed through burning with heat and chemicals. Working at a tiny, fragile scale posed a challenge in how to present work in the monumental Birmingham Art Gallery: so long, thin, eye-level, 'come closer if you want to see' became my strategy. The resulting piece, Line, is a linear 'timeline', extending along the wall for six metres; it could be longer, added to subsequently, but each unit continues from the adjoining section. The broken line consists of regularly defined repeated lengths, which loosely reference different periods of time, emotion and life. From a distance it appears as a changing tonal line, but closer up, the detail, disintegration, repetition, and qualities of cloth become apparent. The broken surface detail is created by destroying the cloth to expose the stitched line beneath, rather than being constructed from the thread alone, as in traditional lace- making. However, despite its different period, material, and discipline, this piece aims to conjure up some of the traditional qualities of lace. The width and lengths I was working with referenced bobbin lace-making, as did the use of pins. To add to the sense of fragility the piece was pinned to the wall with hundreds of long black insect pins, which created shadows and helped the viewer to see more of the work's construction.
Damaged was part of this body of work: it was created alongside Line for Lost in Lace, but within the 25cm x 25cm restriction required for Bitesize. Its title refers either to the cloth quality or a person.
