Exhibitons

Threads That Bind Us is a site specific project I created in response to 128 Telephone Box Gallery's theme of connections. I was awarded the opportunity to exhibit my work in the telephone box gallery for the entirety of February 2023 as part of the 128 Telephone Box Gallery Graduate Award for excellence at the Perth College UHI degree show 2022.

​

Upon discovering the Kirriemuir’s rich history, I was inspired particularly by the red sandstone buildings that give the town its nickname, the ‘Wee Red Toon’. I have a personal connection to small town life as I grew up in a village similar to Kirriemuir, so it was easy to find inspiration in a place that felt familiar. I also felt a deepened connection to my own family’s past during this project. Particularly when working with the fabrics as it reminded me of the strong women in my family, who worked with textiles out of both necessity and love.

I can’t help but be inspired by the red sandstone that makes up a substantial part of the towns buildings – these are the building blocks of Kirriemuir. The blocks that connect – the material is a physical link to the past. For me this symbolises the town’s connection with its roots. Kirriemuir has a proud history, and so this project reflects and celebrates this history.

Incorporating the symbolic red/orange pigment, and experimenting with dying and weaving fabric, as a homage to the town’s weaving industries during the 1700/1800s. I enjoyed exploring different weaving techniques and materials. Working to a small scale, I developed accordion styled zines to illustrate the streets of red buildings. from the ‘Wee Red Toon’.

After working with the Zines I trialled some traditional dying techniques on larger pieces of fabric sourced from bed linen and old dish towels which were industry made for domestic spaces. I experimented with different ingredients such as beetroot, turmeric, and onion skins, to achieve the red/orange pigment. This fabric was later used to create the larger woven piece. I felt a real connection to the old handloom weavers of Kirriemuir throughout the process when working with the fabrics and employing the traditionalist dying methods. For me, the process of dyeing with natural ingredients and weaving fabrics and wool commemorates the towns past weaving industries and all the people that were involved, that helped to make Kirriemuir the welcoming place it is today.