The Fabric of Society
Ideas about displacement, belonging, identity and memory are present across the different mediums I use.
In 2021 I was very fortunate to receive my first Public Commission by Sutton Council.
My clients wanted an artwork that spoke about the different communities that live in the area, celebrating diversity and cultural richness.
I thought about the expression "The Fabric of Society" as this intricate construct of varied elements, I liked the parallel of the different cultures being the threads that made the piece.
Particularly relevant as fabrics speak of beliefs, colonialism, trade, they tell us about status and belonging to a particular society. I used my own experience as an immigrant .
This was a truly participatory project from start to finish.
Please keep reading if you are interested.
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The Workshops
I asked different communities to tell me about them, their memories and dreams through collages with their chosen textiles. They informed me of my final work. This was a community project through and through. I heard the most amazing stories in the process and it made me realise how important it is to learn from each other.
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The Installation
The work was installed in December 2022 in St Nicholas Centre, in Sutton's High Street
The Helpers
This monumental piece required a group of enthusiastic collaborators of all ages and backgrounds. People from 4 yo to 80 yo participated. In total 75 pairs of hands were involved.
The journey
I have always worked with building materials, particularly tiles as they are a great reflection on fragility and resilience and just as memory can be fragmented and fabricated, the juxtaposition of images and shapes reframe old beliefs and an idea of brokenness creating a new perspective about a society that can work in unison.
