Artist Statement

I am fascinated by lace and the stories embedded in worn cloth. I am fortunate to have lace objects that once belonged to ancestors and relatives still in my family; a lace wedding dress and two lace tablecloths. These objects, and the stories of people who once owned them, have resulted in the laces continuing to be sites of creative stimulus in my practice-led research. In these new contemporary works I assess the multiple languages that the laces speak. Firstly, I consider the form of the original objects; creating a wearable garment to pay homage to the lace wedding dress and an accompanying lace-like cloth to reference the tablecloths. Secondly, I use layers of textile processes to consider the significance of these laces and their connection to people across cultures, time, oceans and generations. These processes seek to visualise the stories that the laces have to tell. The free-motion appliquéd textiles comprising the garment and accompanying cloth become a location where the stories surrounding the laces and the rich narrative landscape embedded in their worn surfaces can co-exist. Lastly, I reference the ‘pattern of holes’ that characterise the laces through the creation of fabrics that are also patterns of holes. I subvert traditional lace making processes by allowing the new laces to emerge through cut holes and machine embroidery. Encased in Lace is part of an ongoing exploration of textiles and textile processes that bring lace objects from the past into the present and future​