Embroidery

Hawthorne & Heaney Visits Mary Quant at the V & A Museum

August 14, 2019 by Natasha Searls-Punter

”From miniskirts and hot pants to vibrant tights and makeup, discover how Mary Quant launched a fashion revolution on the British high street, with over 200 garments and accessories, including unseen pieces from the designer’s personal archive. ”

Thai Two Piece (top circa 1960)

This time, the V&A’s fashion and textiles display has brought us straight into the swinging sixties with the ‘Mary Quant‘ exhibition which it is currently housing. Covering many aspects and influcences of the brand, this exhibition explains how Quant built such a sucessful label and how it came to influence the way we shop today.

Coat with Frogging Details

The begins of the brand were humble, with Quant stitching together pieces of an evening upstairs from her shop ‘Bazaar’ to be sold the following day. The inspiration for her pieces was drawn from necessity. Quant saw that girls didn’t necessarily want to dress like smaller versions of their mothers and wanted to make their own fashion choices. She identified that these people thought of themselves as more ‘easy going’ and ‘broad minded’ than the previous generation and wanted to express themselves as such; stepping away from the constrictive gurdles of the 50’s and into more flexible, playful pieces. You might say that what Mary Quant did for fashion in the 60’s was a kin to what Chanel did in the 20’s, providing a more comfortable alternative to the restrictive fashions of the previous decade and in turn allowing the wearer to make socio-political statements about themselves their beliefs (women’s roles in society and decorum for example).

Cotton Wrap Dress

The Quant brand started as a way to offer an alternavive way to dress, however there was always a strong undertone of inclusivity in the designs, and here we can see how Quant channels the 50’s shape she had previously moved away from. Reimagining it in a more comfortable wrap around style in a soft cotton fabric, she started to appeal to a whole new group to expant her following.

Manhattan dress (circa 1970)

Mini-Culottes dress

Upstairs the exhibition moves on to more about how the brand expanded as times moved on, displaying pieces from the 70’s onwards. You can see how the styles developed with the times, but Quant managed to balance the changing styles with some of her classic brand features.

Another area in which Quant was a revolutionary was in her makeup range. Like with the fashion, the makeup grew out of necessity as Mary felt that the people who were buying her items, needed to be able to do more natural, lighter make up to compliment the fashion choices they had made. Other make up brands available at the time promoted a much heavier made up look, which didn’t necessarily reflect the look people wearing Quant’s clothes wanted to create for themselves.

Here we can see how the strength of the branding comes into play. They focused on simplifing the process of making yourself up in the products which are often have multiple uses, were made to be able to fit into palettes for easy storage. The names also simply state what they do whilst having a sense of humour: ‘Cheeky’, ‘Tan Trap’ and ‘Grease Paint’ for example.

Mini Crinkle Dress

From an embroidery perspective, there unsuprisingly isnt much featured in this exhibition as it is more of a luxury technique (particulally during this time). However it isan interesting exhibition to look at from a textiles/ production view point as the brand being one of the first high street shops aimed at a younger market. Though there is an emphasis on accessibility for more people into fashion and therefore a lower than their contemporary competitiors price points for the items, there is still great quality to these items. This testament is shown in the vibrancy and how well the garments have still held their shape, particulally on pieces you can see have been worn and loved, but still are in great condition. It draws a stark contrast to some of the throw away fashion we have come to know when we think about ”accessibilty” on today’s high street. There are echos of the global responsibility we have for the planet in the fashion industry which was introduced in the ‘Fashioned by Nature‘ exhibition the V&A Museum held last year.

If this has tickled your fancy, the Mary Quant exhibition is on at the V&A Museum until 16th Feb 2020, tickets start at £12.00

Misshapes: The Making of Tatty Devine

August 8, 2019 by Intern

20 July – 11 August 2019
Lethaby Gallery (Central Saint Martins), 1 Granary Square, King’s Cross, London, N1C 4AA
Free Entry

By Abi Tominey-Smith

Crafts Council have collaborated with Central Saint Martins within the University Arts London to bring you Tatty Devine’s first solo showcase, including jewellery work, video footage, sketchbook drawings, fashion work and installation pieces. Set in a bright, open setting, reflecting the style of this incredibly cool brand.

University of the Arts London graduates themselves, Harriet Vine and Rosie Wolfenden joined forces about 20 years ago to create the brand Tatty Devine, an original and independent jewellery company based in London. They have challenged the basic conventions of jewellery through their acrylic laser cutting, quirky design and use of scale.

Acid Blossom Ultra Bead Necklace by Tatty Devine.

This body of over 100 work shown spans over their whole creative careers as Tatty Devine, with themes across their collections from Rebellion, Space, Music, Magic, Food to even a reference to Haberdashery!

Being one of the first companies to use laser cutting as a jewellery making technique, their work was bound to stand out. You can see the talent and creative spark of these ladies, as their jewellery is full of originality and personality. The fun colours, shapes and larger scale they’ve played with definitely makes a statement.

Lobster Giant Necklace by Tatty Devine.

Inside Misshapes, there are multiple screens to showing a looped step by step video of how the various materials are turned into wearable jewellery through laser cutting and hand techniques. It shows the process of bending, joining and piecing together such pieces as the Lobster Giant Necklace (above). Many more wacky pieces, similar to the Lobster are on display here.

Tatty Devine are a company very passionate about change and equality which is obvious throughout their work and team with all of their jewellery handmade in the UK by a group of 30 women.

They’ve teamed with The Fawcett Society to fight for women’s rights and often pay homage to the movements such as LGTBQ+ through colour and wording, allowing for their platform to speak up and spread empowering, strong messages.

Courage Calls Necklace (left) and Votes for Women Badge (right) by Tatty Devine

‘Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere’, was a line taken from a speech by feminist Millicent Fawcett that was given after the death of fellow suffragette Emily Davidson. This along with the Votes for Women badges are Tatty Devine’s way of showing support for the suffragettes and women’s rights everywhere. This and many more under the theme of ‘Causes’ are displayed at the exhibition.

Rainbow Halo Instillation with Rosie (left) and Harriet (right) by Tatty Devine, 2018.

Another area covered within Misshapes is their public art, where more recently they have been commissioned to make works for spaces such as the Peninsula Square, Greenwich, where they’ve been able to take their use of scale to a whole new level. Themes of Love, Peace and Magic were the inspiration for this Christmas based instillation. More photographs of their crazy public displays are shown in the exhibition, alongside some of the pieces included.

Altogether, the exhibition was buzzing, innovative and a very engaging experience. With a broad range of subject matters, there’s something for everyone – whether you’re a creative mind or not. It’s definitely a must see!

All images (courtesy from the Misshapes exhibition)

Hawthorne & Heaney on ‘Threads of Life’ by Clare Hunter

July 17, 2019 by Natasha Searls-Punter

”You cut a length of thread, knot one end and pull the other end through the eye of a needle you take a piece of fabric and push your needle into one side of the cloth, then pull it out on the other until it reaches the knot. You leave a space. You push your needle back through the fabric and pull it out on the other side. You continue until you have made a line, or a curve, or a wave of stitches. That is all there is: thread, needle, fabric and patterns the thread makes. This is sewing.”

(Beginning)

A few months ago, we got a lovely little surprise in the post of a book about embroidery. Whilst we have quite a few books on embroidery in the studio, specific techniques or historical references and so on, this one differed in that it was about embroidery as a cultural vehicle, and so it had our attention. The book is called ‘Threads of Life’ by Clare Hunter who explores embroidery as the chosen method of communication for many great examples of noteworthy people during the course of her book.

Whilst we do not want to ruin the book for you should you wish to read it yourself, there are a few parts which we hope might grab your interest as they did ours. The book is split into well defined chapters on particular themes which makes it very easy to dip in and out of as the feeling takes you.

Chapter 2: Power, was a particular favourite of mine as it is all about Mary Queen of Scots who was an avid embroiderer, something that I previously had no idea of but can’t help but be captivated by this idea of an embroiderer Queen. Hunter explores her relationship with embroidery from both an external and more personal level where she uses embroidery as her weapon to try and exert some influence over her future:

”Female Monarchs had greater need of the advocacy of textiles than their male counterparts. The public display of their hand crafted emblems and symbols meant that for women, even when physically absent from court through childbirth, banishment or imprisonment, the textiles they had commisioned or sewn remained on display as their representatives, still messaging their lineage, still acting as a presense of sorts.’ (Page 24-5)

”In desperation, she began to woo Elizabeth with embroidered gifts. It was a calculated generosity. Such presents in court etiquette represented a bond or inferred an obligation: used publically, they declared intimacy.” (Page 31)

The book is semi-autobiographical as Hunter includes stories from her own past, one of which made for another highlight of the book for me. In the ‘Journey’ chapter, Hunter tell us of a visit she made to Kaili, Southwest China where she shares a non-verbal conversation she has with a Miao woman she met there. It demonstrates the passion that people interested in embroidery all seem to share, which transcends spoken languages:

”I think she is about to leave, but instead she unties its knot and lets it spill out textiles, which she then lays out one by one onto the bed… The bed becomes canopied in encrusted cloth. She beckons me overand we examine the textiles together, her touching and stroking, lifting up this corner and that, willing me to see an intricacy here, wanting me to notice a technique there.”(Page 110-111)

I think what is really lovely about this book, as an embroiderer, is that it really examines embroidery as a craft and as an art form. Personally, I felt gratitude to Hunter for shining a light on embroidery and really felt that ‘yeh, i’ve been there’ moment when she talk about sharing a segment of the book with her writing group and the somewhat despondent attitude to the subject prior to reading the piece. Any works like this that seek to re-educate societies attitudes to something which can be perseved as irrelevant, elitist or outdated to the vibrant and ever evolving art form that we know it to be, must be a good thing in my opinion.

All quotations courtesy of ‘Thread of Life’ by Clare Hunter (Hodder & Stoughton)

Hawthorne & Heaney at RCA Summer Exhibition 2019

July 9, 2019 by Intern

The Royal Academy’s prestigious Summer Exhibition is back once again and this time with a lot to live up to. The Exhibition saw a record number of visitors for its 250th Anniversary curated by Grayson Perry CBE, known for his bold tapestries and ceramics that critique British culture, class and politics. This year the gallery took a sharp turn towards a showcase that although included it’s usual wit and parody, also seemed to dwell in safe and conventional political territory covering themes such as climate change and Brexit.

The Exhibition has been held annually at the Royal Academy since 1769 and is the world’s oldest open submission exhibition. This is an incredibly important event for the art sphere which is often labelled as elitist and untouchable. It gives amateur artists the chance to have their aspirations realised and step into the world of professional artistry many can only dream of.

Pictures (from left to right); Macaw – Christopher James, Swaying Trees – Annabel Harrison, Peacock Tree Frog – Sandra Cockayne

On entering the exhibition in Wohl Central Hall you are met with a mass of exciting paintings, photographs and sculptures that hang in abundance on the walls. The hall has become a safari teeming with exotic, mythical beasts that juxtapose artists tame depictions of their beloved pets. Whilst this zoo of misfits is enough to overwhelm the spectator, when looking further you can see the meaning behind the art. Pressure is being put on the public to address the impact humans are having on our environment and in this case there has never been a more poignant time for this discourse within the creative industry.

A popular technique amongst the exhibitors was lithography. It has been used to depict nature as well as the human figure within it and this age old monochrome printing technique allows for detailed depictions by the artists. There was also a noticeable shift towards pastels and charcoal materials being used to create abstract illustrations of landscapes. This year there was unsurprisingly less textile art than previous exhibitions, perhaps this is just a comparison to its predecessor Grayson Perry. Perry works often with tapestry and his interests are entrenched in our British heritage, the textile industry being an essential part of this English Tradition. Nethertheless, Jock Mcfadyen’s paintings are acutely textured and this interest is transferred onto the walls of this years exhibition.

Pictures (From left to right): Tamatoa – Becca Cameron, Easy Tiger – David Mach

The first gallery you enter, next to Wohl Hall is that curated by the co-ordinator of this years show, Jock McFadyen. It is a pick and mix of photography, painting and sculpture but it all has a naturalistic feel and neutral colour palette which is reflective of McFadyen’s style.

Gallery 2 was put together by Richard Wilson RA and on writing about this gallery the Royal Academy has described Wilson as focusing on art with a strong sense of idea without referencing the human figure.

Jane and Louise Wilson were responsible for multiple rooms in this years exhibition and in Gallery 1 the twins delve deeper into political subject matter. With themes exploring immigration and identity the audience is suddenly hit with a more serious and thoughtful tone.

In the recent history of the Summer Exhibition there has been a room amongst the galleries that has been solely dedicated to the celebration of new architecture, presenting architects ideas and realities. This celebration can be found in the Large Weston Room produced by Spencer de Grey. Of course the focus for this year had to be on sustainable architecture and these environmentally friendly buildings all echo the concerns raised consistently throughout the exhibition. The room is filled with towering wooden models filled with miniatures, a doll-house lovers dream. The sustainable, eco-friendly buildings display what look to be utopian societies. This room is sure to unleash the inner child from even the most serious spectator.

Curator of gallery 4,+ Barbara Rae recently took a trip to the Arctic and this inspired her to put together a gallery filled with soft yet chilling neutrals that provide discourse yet again on the effects humans are having on our planet.

Pictures (from left to right): An Austere Beauty, Iceberg of Cape Mercy, Baffin Island – Nicholas Jones, Bear from Dump Circus – Nicholas Hicks

One of the most intriguing galleries was sorted by artists Barbara Rae and Hughie O’Donoghue, once again this room is centered on nature, many of the paintings are filled with natural beauty however there is an underlying message in a multitude of the paintings contained within this room, perhaps the best example of these hard-hitting pieces are Richard Devonshire’s Artificial Intelligence and The language of Bees, as well as Michael Canning’s Digitalis 1 and 3.

Pictures (from left to right): Artificial Intelligence – Richard Devonshire, The Language of Bees – Richard Devonshire, Digitalis 1 – Michael Canning, Digitalis 2 – Michael Canning

Altogether this years exhibition standouts included the mass display of animals and the natural world as well as the darker mood created by the exploration into how humans were destroying this. It is a circus of delirium depicted through the wildness of nature.

The Summer Exhibition never fails to showcase some of the best artwork this country has to offer, whether you are gazing upon the sculpture of an established celebrity artist or the portrait painted by your next door neighbour these artworks mesh together seamlessly and deliver a fun and reflective experience that is well worth a visit every time. With such an abundance of inspiration contained within these walls this is a playground for creatives of every generation, background and discipline.

By Flo Sargent

Exhibition Information:

RA: Summer Exhibition 2019

Dates: 10th June – 12th August 2019

Location: Royal Academy of Arts,

Burlington House,

Piccadilly,

London,

W1J OBD

For further details and to purchase tickets see website: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/summer-exhibition-2019

Hawthorne and Heaney inspired by the Visionary Drawings of Emma Kunz

July 2, 2019 by Intern

After visiting the Emma Kunz exhibition of visionary drawings at the Serpentine Gallery in May our intern Max was inspired by the artists use of geometrics, spirographs and straight lines. Emma Kunz would ask questions to a computer and using a pendulum and this would this result in a series of spirographs and abstract structured patterns. From this research Max was asked to develop a collection of samples for contemporary bridal wear.