Front Cover: Jessie Chorley
On My Mother’s Knee maker’s influenced by domestic heritage Curated by Louise Jones Williams
Kirsty Anderson, Julie Arkell, Jessie Chorley, Louise Frances Evans, Caren Garfen, Kate Jenkins, Lynn Setterington and Ruth Singer.
A Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre Touring Exhibition
Ruth Singer
Foreword “On my Mother’s Knee” is an exhibition
I began to think back to my formative years
that explores the ideas of domestic heritage
and what were the influences and factors that
through the work of eight contemporary
shaped the way I see the world and function
practitioners. Curated by Louise Jones–
in it. How my artistic vision was formed. I think
Williams, the line-up of makers involved has
that sometimes it is small incidents that have
been describe as “textile royalty” and I feel
a profound influence, being surrounded by
the selection matches her vision. What is
creativity in a variety of forms, knowing that
explored in this exhibition are a group of
there is nothing out of the ordinary in drawing,
makers who chart a direct lineage, they have
painting, modelling, building and creating.
a direct contact with the person who had a
This gives us the confidence to explore and
profound impact on the way they developed
experiment, to get things wrong and learn
as people and how their art practise has
from our mistakes and in turn make us more
been shaped. When talking about “On My
rounded individuals. I feel this exhibition is
Mother’s Knee” with Louise we have had
more than just about the creative process, it
numerous, conversations about ideas and
explores the fundamental process of how we
concepts, skills and knowledge and how they
learn and evolve.
are passed from one generation to another.
Hywel Pontin, Director, Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre
Kate Jenkins
On My Mother’s Knee maker’s influenced by domestic heritage Curated by Louise Jones Williams Kirsty Anderson, Julie Arkell, Jessie Chorley, Louise Frances Evans, Caren Garfen, Kate Jenkins, Lynn Setterington and Ruth Singer. Many makers grow up in homes surrounded
grandparents who were tailors, dressmakers
by fabric and sewing paraphernalia, taught
and milliners; or sometimes just from their
by their mothers and grandmothers to
parent’s creativity in gardening or cooking.
sew, knit, embroider, quilt and crochet.
The makers in this exhibition would not be
Growing up in these families, it was the
who they are today without the influence of
older generations who influenced the next
their families, a legacy which is embodied in
with the passing on of their practical skills,
every delicate stitch.
punctuated with stories told from books and anecdotes from their own lives; also
Inspiration for this exhibition has come
passing on from generation to generation
from observing my daughter’s interest in
precious
mementoes.
art, design and making. It has made me
Sometimes a maker’s skills and interest are
think more about learnt and inherited skills.
inherited from relatives they’ve never met;
Each time I collect my daughter from her
objects
and
grandparent’s house, where she spends a few hours after school, I find her and my mother making clothes and fixing the wool hair on the old rag dolls from my childhood, doing tapestry, sewing and most recently knitting. The closeness between myself, my daughter and my mother reminds me very much of my childhood with my mother and grandmother. My grandmother was a constant presence when I was growing up, as she lived with us. In her youth, my grandmother had been a milliner until she married in the 1930s and made almost all her own clothes as well as my mother’s when she was a young girl. In later years my grandmother taught sewing in community education classes and my mother went on Kirsty Anderson
to teach patchwork, quilting and just about
embroidering or doing tapestry. The skills
every other craft, passing on the skills and
my grandmother and mother passed onto
traditions they had learnt.
me and are now being passed on to my daughter; they go back generations, my
And so our house was always filled with loose
great grandmother was a dressmaker, my
threads, fabric, pins and needles (always
great, great grandfather a tailor and his
getting stuck in the carpet); the button box
brother a shoemaker. I feel sometimes there
was a treasure trove to be looked through
must be something in the genes.
on rainy days; the precious sewing scissors – never to be used for anything else! One
In previous generations, at a time when
of my clearest childhood memories was
‘craft’ was part of everyday life, the skills of
the frustration of being made to stand on
sewing, knitting, repairing were a necessity
a small stool to be pinned into a something
for girls to learn to clothe their family. But in
that was being made for me. I also fondly
this necessity I think women especially have
remember many hours sat around the dining
found companionship and joy in learning,
table cutting out patterns, learning to use
completing and passing on these skills.
the sewing machine, painting and drawing,
Pleasure too, in the personal touch that
could be brought to them with a special care in the stitching or the embroidery of a flower or name. Julie Arkell’s mother was a skilled needle-woman, knitter, cook and gardener “..from dresses to my doll’s clothes, my father’s socks, jumpers and gloves and hats all made with love and perfection.” All these skills she passed on to Julie who has combined them into her own unique style. Garments and clothing are central to this tradition of domestic inheritance, of skills and techniques learnt from our mothers and grandmothers. Little girls would make clothes for cloth dolls, learning those first dressmaking skills. Perhaps it is of no surprise then that many of the makers in Kate Jenkins
this exhibition use clothing as a conduit
and owners whose stories are hidden from
for their thoughts and ideas. Clothes are,
us. Jessie Chorley uses clothes too, finding
at their most basic an essential for warmth
beauty and inspiration in things that have
and protection, but are also very personal,
been discarded or put to one side, Jessie
they speak not only of the maker but most
brings alive their decaying beauty through
especially the wearer, their occupation
the embroidering of text and narrative.
perhaps, their social position, their tastes.
Coming from a family of makers with a
Clothes were and still are handed down
strong belief in make do and mend, Jessie
from one generation to another either
is passionate about continuing to use
through need or more significantly because
traditional techniques that have been shown
they hold special value or meaning.
to her from a very young age by her mother and grandmother.
Ruth Singer is particularly interested in the hidden aspects of women’s history and
Recycling and reusing, nothing wasted was
uses the apron, that most utilitarian piece
a concept common to most households
of clothing and transforms it into an object
until well after WWII and has seen a massive
which can represent the lives of the makers
resurgence of interest in recent years. Julie
Arkell remembers. “Last year’s dress would be altered to fit, nothing was wasted.” That ethos has continued amongst many makers, perhaps less from a sense of necessity but one of getting back to basics, nostalgia and personal connection with the work produced. Kirsty Anderson creates pieces from textiles her mother designed and printed in the 1960s while Lynn Setterington uses fabric from a dress once worn by her mother in her piece “A patchwork of memories”. Precious objects too are often passed from mother to daughter, a ring, a sewing or jewellery box, a bridal veil, letters, linens, christening gown, photographs. Makers such as Louise Frances Evans frequently incorporate found objects and vintage clothing to create Julie Arkell
pieces which naturally make us think of
would meet, talk and sew. Louise Frances
family connections, identity and loss. Her
Evans says “I was taught to sew and to knit,
work shows that the things we wear or keep
mainly by my Nan, and to cook and bake
close to us also have an inexorable link to
by my mother, plus I undoubtedly absorbed
our thoughts, feelings and memories.
much whilst drinking tea.”
Sewing has a social aspect that is also very
For thousands of years the production of
important, today makers work mainly in
cloth and clothing has not only been central
isolation, alone in studios or spare rooms
to woman’s role in the home but also as a
but the tradition of the sewing circle or
source of income when few others were
sewing bee has a long history. Groups of
open to them. Before industrialisation the
neighbours, family and friends came together
production of cloth was done in the home
to sew, gossip, laugh and drink tea. In these
either for your own family or as a ‘cottage
groups essential skills and new tricks were
industry’. Mothers and daughters worked
exchanged. My mother remembers as a
together
little girl going with her mother to visit her
spinning (the origin of the word spinster).
great aunts, where a large group of ladies
Women all over the world still make objects
sewing,
knitting,
lace-making,
from cloth, passing the skills of embroidery,
1970s onwards there has been a revaluation
applique, batik etc from mother to daughter.
of these occupations and especially within the last twenty years there has been a huge
The beauty, value and importance of cloth
resurgence in artists and makers using
and sewing has quite often been overlooked
cloth. There is also a significantly wider
until recent times mainly due to its relatively
appreciation of what makers have been
low perceived status within the arts but also
producing and of its historical contexts.
due to its perishable nature, few examples
The defining line between craft and art has
survive before even a few hundred years ago.
become increasingly blurred and more and
Technology and conservation techniques
more makers see textiles as a valid form of
now allow much better preservation and
expression, and one which can tackle the
the work of seamstresses, embroiderers and
most serious of subjects. Makers such as
quilters is appreciated by a wider audience.
Caren Garfen, use textiles to create pieces
During the social turmoil of the post
which are often humorous but with stark
war period, women’s work and roles were
social statements relating to women’s issues,
questioned with traditionally ‘feminine’ tasks
such as domesticity, work/life balance, and
often being rejected. Gradually from the
the body.
Whilst the makers in this exhibition may not
turn too perhaps mothers have been influenced
talk about inheritance directly in their work, all
by their daughters, reviving their sense of
of them come from a very distinct background
adventure, to be more original and creative.
where craft, creativity and skills were things to be used, treasured and passed on. Kate Jenkins
So this is where it all began, the comfort
remembers being taught from an early age to
and wonder found in piles of fabric, boxes of
knit and crochet by her mother and grandmother
buttons, braids and ribbons enthralled these
and is greatly influenced by her family. However I
makers as children. There could be nothing
am sure many rebelled in their youth, Julie Arkell
more natural than for them to create work which
mentions going out to buy a Jeff Banks jersey
forever connects them to their childhood and
dress. “My mother thought it looked cheap and
the people who influenced them. Techniques
was very unimpressed. I tried to hold my own,
learnt ‘on their mother’s knee’ give these
but secretly knew she was right!” Eventually
makers a unique identity and a shared past;
most of us give up our rebellion and as artist
sewing the experiences, events and secrets
Janet Ruttenburg writes “I tried so very hard to
of their family’s lives. Their pieces speak of
be different in any way I could from my mother,
women’s work and domestic heritage and are
and now I give up. I want to be just like her.” In
imbued with beauty, history and meaning.
Kirsty Anderson
Kirsty Anderson “Having grown up in a creative environment
My sister and I have been influenced
it was never really a decision, it’s been in
creatively by our family from a young age,
our family for generations. My gran always
especially our mother. Having went to art
talks about her mother recycling bits and
school she has always had the tools to
bobs around the house to make trinkets.
create lying around. I want to show both sides of my work and my mother’s for this
My mother studied printed textiles at
exhibition.
Duncan of Jordanstone and spent most of her life as a designer, my Dad is a chef and
Some of the fabric used was designed by
Lucy, my sister, is a fashion designer so it
my mother at art school. I have had the
was always on the cards - I can’t imagine
pattern digitally printed for some patterns
doing anything else. I have a drawing from
and others are the original material, other
primary school where we had to draw the
pieces of fabric have been handed down
past, present and future. The future was
like the napkins in the mobile’s wings. I find
me sitting at a big drawing board designing
it interesting to have a part of us reflected
dresses - so I am kind of close.
in the pieces I make.”
Kirsty Anderson Kirsty Anderson grew up in Burntisland, a seaside town in Fife. She has been involved in making, teaching and showing art and textiles ever since graduating and now lives in Edinburgh. Kirsty’s work centres on the deconstruction and transformation of found and unwanted textiles, turning the undesirable or discarded into unique works that have a new life and create fresh memories with her textile animals. Her work takes inspiration from the past, wildlife, family and eclectic items which hold history.
Kirsty Anderson
Kirsty Anderson
1
2
1 “Me, my mum and my dad’s mum” 2 Vintage fabric detail
Julie Arkell
Julie Arkell “I grow up in the 1950’s and 60’s in a home
right! Knitting was more of a challenge for
where the handmade was very important.
me to learn – hot sticky fingers trying to
My mother was a skilled needle-woman,
understand where the wool should go. My
knitter, cook and gardener. She knitted and
tension was dreadful, everything came out
sewed for all her family – from dresses to
enormous, where as hers was so neat and
my doll’s clothes, my father’s socks, jumpers
perfect. Over the years it has improved.
and gloves and hats all made with love and
Since my mother died 18 months ago, I have
perfection. She showed me all these skills.
found knitting a particular source of comfort.
I remember the excitement of going to
A friend of mine, on seeing the red pixie hat,
Liberty and choosing fabric and a pattern
asked me if my mother had knitted it. I so
for a new summer frock. Last year’s dress
wish I could show her my achievements.”
would be altered to fit, nothing was wasted. As a teenager I rebelled, and with some
Julie Arkell is one of the country’s best
saved money went and bought a Jeff Banks
recognised contemporary folk artists. After
jersey dress. My mother thought it looked
studying fashion at St Martin’s, she began
cheap and was very unimpressed. I tried
selling her work at a stall in Covent Garden
to hold my own, but secretly knew she was
and now shows her wonderful creatures in
Julie Arkell galleries around the world. Working from her London studio, she forms and paints their paper-mache bodies, hand sewing and embroidering their clothes and knitting the accessories. Julie regularly holds workshops both in the UK and abroad.
Julie Arkell
Julie Arkell
1
2
1 2 “In these two photographs my mother is wearing the same style dress, both made by her. In the late 1980’s she made me the same dress in a black and white check. I own the pattern now and still wear the one she made me every summer. The coloured photograph is my favourite, taken in 1960 in our back garden. I loved the mauve and white check gingham dress I’m wearing in it. I’m holding a Swiss national costume doll my Auntie had bought home for me from holiday – I still have her. Sadly all my childhood dresses got worn out and torn with playing on the swings and slide in our local park. The black and white photo is about spring 1957.”
Jessie Chorley
Jessie Chorley Jessie finds beauty and inspiration in things
grandmother. She regularly still makes with
that have been discarded or put to one
her Mum, Primmy Chorley and they also run
side. The most familiar objects that she
embroidery workshops together.
works with are books, clothing and furniture sometimes combining all three to create a
Jessie uses carefully chosen text and imagery
one of piece or small series of work.
combined with simple hand embroidery and the placing of her found fragments to
Jessie and her brother were home schooled
create scenes and narrative experiences for
by
artists
an array of different works that can be for
themselves, learning through creativity.
interior spaces as well as items to be worn.
Coming from a family of makers with a
“I am passionate about giving life and a new
strong belief in Make do and Mend, she
beginning back to a forgotten object. To see
uses the techniques of tatting/lace making
someone using something that I have re-
hand embroidery and weaving. Jessie is
created is like a completion to the story�
her
parents
both
textile
passionate about continuing to use these traditional techniques, shown to her from
Jessie Chorley was born in Maidstone Kent
a very young age by her mother and
but grew up in Snowdonia, North Wales. She
Jessie Chorley mainly works with paper and textiles most of which are “found� this being her inspiration. Jessie lives and works in East London and co-runs J&B The Shop. Her work explores narrative and story telling through the use of simple and traditional textile techniques combined with the use of found and reworked objects. She is passionate about teaching and sharing her skills, she runs workshops around the UK.
Jessie Chorley
Jessie Chorley
1
1 Jessie sewing 2 Primmy sewing
2
Louise Frances Evans
Louise Frances Evans “I come from a close family of mother and
My Nan was always making dresses and my
father with me sandwiched between my
passion for fabric and thread was picked up at
two brothers. My mother was ever present
her side. Unfortunately I never met my paternal
and I saw my grandmother, nan, and great
grandmother, but she was a professional
grandmother, known as ‘Sweetheart Nan’,
seamstress. She made my mother’s wedding
frequently.
dress in the early sixties whilst my Nan made the younger bridesmaids. Making my own
I was taught to sew and knit, mainly by my
wedding and bridesmaids dresses was a family
Nan, and to cook and bake by my mother,
tradition that I happily followed.
plus I undoubtedly absorbed much whilst drinking tea. When I was quite small my
More recently I have discovered that both my
Nan made me a huge rag doll which I called
mother and grandmother’s teenage diaries
Rebecca. I remember that I adored exploring
are full of entries saying ‘stayed in and sewed’,
the contents of the button box and was
‘made blouse’ or references to creating
allowed to play at dressing up in a beautiful
something for the bottom drawer in preparation
yellow dress that my Mom had worn for her
for a future home. I now treasure my Mom and
21st birthday party.
Nan’s sewing machines and I am lucky to have
Louise Frances Evans been given my Sweetheart Nan’s thimble in its beautiful worn green velvet case.� Louise Frances Evans creates jewellery, textile
and
frequently
installation incorporate
pieces found
which objects
and vintage clothing Her work seeks to highlight what we carry on the body and in our minds - thus garments, shoes, jewellery, flowers and dolls become sites for memory traces, exploring identity, commentary on the ideals of femininity or representing an absent person. Louise studied Jewellery at Birmingham City University, has worked widely in the gallery sector and exhibits internationally. Louise Frances Evans
Louise Frances Evans
1
2
1 “Mom, nan, brother and me on pier” 2 “Me, Mom, Nan, Sweetheart Nan and brothers at Christmas”
Caren Garfen
Caren Garfen stitches
women bravely reveal their past. This
memories of growing up in a household
artwork takes the form of two dresses in the
where making was an inherent way of living.
style of summer frocks once worn by the
“In my childhood home, cupboards were
twins when they were about eight years old.
overflowing with yards of cloth, spools of
Now adults, they look back, delving into
thread and tins of buttons. Boxes were filled
memories from their childhood. The account
with sewing tools, zips and tape measures.
by Twin I was hand stitched onto the front
Knitting wools and knitting needles had
of the first dress before any memories from
their places on the shelves. It is no wonder
Twin II were revealed. The twins had no hint
that textiles and stitching have become the
of what the other was writing. The hand
heart of my practice.”
stitched sentence ‘I don’t remember sitting
Caren
painstakingly
hand
on my mother’s knee’ gives an intimation ‘Addressing the Past’ is an investigation
of the troubled relationship between the
into the childhood of twin girls who had
young girls and their mother; the viewer will
the same upbringing, and it examines their
need to read between the lines!
recollections,
exploring
whether
their
memories converge or deviate as these
Caren Garfen uses textiles to create pieces
Caren Garfen relating to women’s issues in the 21st century. Painstaking hand stitch is used to convey messages on gender politics, and themes such as domesticity, work/life balance, and the body. Caren has exhibited widely in the UK and overseas including at the V&A and the Royal Academy. She has appeared in many articles and books and is a member of The 62 Group of Textile Artists.
Caren Garfen
Caren Garfen
1
2
1 2 “It is of me as a child (holding the bucket!) surrounded by my sisters and with my mother. My mother made all of the trousers that we were wearing at the time and knitted the jumpers too!�
Kate Jenkins
Kate Jenkins Taught from an early age to Crochet and
worldwide. Kate works from her studio in
Knit by her Mother and Grandmother, Kate
Brighton and has plans to show in Paris in
has been described as a ‘crocheting genius’
2014.
and one of our most original innovative UK artists. Famous for her unique crocheted
Kate Jenkins was born in Cwmbran and grew
food, Kate takes a nostalgic look at everyday
up in Tir-y-berth, Rhymney Valley. She was
items, re-invented in wool and yarn with wry,
educated in Cardiff and later graduated
comic touches.
from The University of Brighton with a BA Honours Degree in Fashion Textiles. In
She has crocheted art pieces of the nation’s
her previous life as a successful knitting
favourite food, transformed spaces into
consultant, she sold her designs to fashion
a knitted and crocheted garden, knitted
labels Marc Jacobs, Missoni, Sonia Rykiel
a fantasy dinner party setting complete
and Donna Karan. Alongside her art projects
with crocheted bottles of champagne, re-
she produces fashion and homewares under
imagined iconic branded supermarket items.
her own label ‘Cardigan’.
She has exhibited in London, Brighton and the United States and her work is collected
Kate Jenkins
Kate Jenkins
Kate Jenkins
1
2
1 “This is a very old picture of me and my sister Helen (in Welsh costume). Me on the right” 2 “Me as a baby”
Lynn Setterington
Lynn Setterington “Looking back I think my family influenced
again, evokes happy memories of my
me in their passion for making rather than
childhood and takes me back to my early
sewing or textiles in particular. My mum
life in Yorkshire. I can still see my mum in
was a wonderful inventive cook, my dad a
the pink dress found in the top row centre
teacher and passionate gardener and my
house.
older brother was forever in the garage mending things and working as a woodwork
In meshing together the fabrics in the house
teacher.
blocks, this piece offers a reminder of the impact our upbringing can have on our
The patchwork incorporated into this piece
identity and future. The upside down house
is one I started as a teenager. It is made up
references the fact that not all memories and
fragments of garments belonging to myself,
upbringings leave such a positive imprint.�
my mum, and my sister. It lay dormant, (like many patchworks) in a wardrobe for thirty
Lynn Setterington is an internationally
years and reappeared when my mum died
recognised textile artist who celebrates the
and her/our home was cleared. Revisiting it
ordinary and overlooked in society. Born
after all this time and seeing the material
in Yorkshire, Lynn trained at York College
Lynn Setterington of Arts and Technology and Goldsmiths College London. She is a Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University and an Associate Fellow of the International Quilt Study Center in the US. She is a member of the 62 Group and exhibits internationally. Her work is held in many major public museums including the V&A, the Crafts Council of Great Britain and the Whitworth Art Gallery Manchester.
Lynn Setterington
Lynn Setterington
1
2
1 “Me, my mum and cousin John” 2 “Me, my mum and brother”
Ruth Singer
Ruth Singer “Grandad’s tool shed: These pieces are based
Aprons - Time Bubble 1 & Time Bubble
on the household and garden tools from
2: This series of aprons inspired by the
my Grandad’s shed. He was a professional
hidden aspects of women’s history and
gardener from the age of 14 and carried on
the enigmatic, owner-less aprons that have
growing his own vegetables until his death in
survived in museums. Aprons are an under-
2012 at the age of 96. His numerous sheds
appreciated art form, which are often left
contained years of carefully-maintained and
languishing in museum collections without
well-used tools and the essence of him. His
any in-depth study. For me they represent
second wife’s family ran a small laundry and
the lives of the makers and owners of those
their house was full of traditional linens,
aprons, whose stories are hidden from us,
all bleached, starched and ironed. I have
inside a bubble of time.”
combined the linens and the tool sheds to create a series of inter-related pieces which
Ruth Singer creates intriguing artworks
are made from Grandad’s handkerchiefs
inspired by historical textiles, museum
alongside new fabrics. Techniques include
objects, personal heritage, memory and
trapunto quilting, shadow embroidery and
stories. She uses natural and recycled
reverse appliqué.
textiles combined with hand stitching as
Ruth Singer well as fabric manipulation techniques to create detailed surface texture. Many of her techniques are developed from the study of historical textiles, based on her own research and first career in museums. She exhibits in the UK and abroad and has been commissioned to make work for Derby Museums and Shire Hall Gallery.
Ruth Singer
Ruth Singer
1
2
1 “Me and my granddad” 2 “My stepmother who taught me sew, my step-grandmother (Grandad’s second wife), Grandad and me”
Julie Arkell
“On My Mother’s Knee” a Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre Touring Exhibition. We would like to thank all the makers who have allowed us to exhibit their work in “On My Mother’s Knee”. Exhibition Curator: Louise Jones Williams Translator: Heddwen Pugh-Evans Design: Hillview Design Published by Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre. Text ©The Authors and LGAC 2013 Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre St.David’s Road Cwmbran Torfaen NP441PD T: +44(0)1633 483321 E: info@lgac.org.uk W: www.lgac.org.uk Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre is part of the Arts Council of Wales portfolio of Revenue Funded Organisations. Registered Charity no: 1006933 Company Limited by Guarantee no: 2616241 Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre is funded by the Arts Council of Wales, Torfaen County Borough Council and Monmouthshire County Council. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without written permission from the publisher.