Tutorial with Matthew Harris

It is now time to move forward with my textile work as my main piece of work for art is in the final stages. Having this pause  in textiles has given my time to really think and consider my options and also allowed a tutorial to take place with Matthew Harris.

Matthew Harris a fantastic artist who uses dying, cutting and hand stitching to translate drawn marks into cloth. I carefully talked about my work whilst he quietly listened, he thought and then started to give me some really helpful advice. Whilst he encouraged my theme of damage and repair he did say that I had to be careful that my idea of producing a garment could just become a design project and that my work is about an idea which I must carefully consider. Do I want to convey a message and if so just how much do I want the viewer to see? Could I use a pillow case or a bed sheet instead of a night gown? This was an exciting idea. When there has been a trauma some people look and just want you to be ok, some will question you further and some will listen to how you feel. Some times you want to tell people and sometimes you don't. So I may include some layers to hide and conceal or reveal more. But what will be the best vehicle for this conversation  - small scale blocks, a full sized garment or bed linen made from paper or silk? What I must do now is think carefully about the image I use for the damage design and just how much of it I show. The one thing I am sure about is that I want it to be beautiful - and I only want the people who want to see - 'that mending can happen'. 

from the 'Lantern Collection', Matthew Harris

Harris draws people into his work through pattern, repeating and disrupting the marks so that visual connections amplify the suggestion he is trying to make. So this is my next step, find an image (which I think I already have or know), draw, cut, manipulate and see what happens.