'A Beautiful White Death'

I work with mixed media textiles making installations that reflect my concern for the environment and particularly those of the sea, the death of coral and depletion of fish stocks caused by pollution and global warming.  I experiment with and explore the particular qualities and reactions of fibres like silk, wool, paper, wire and wax. Using this experience I create three dimensional structures .  My aim is to intrigue and interest the viewer without being didactic.   Hopefully, on closer inspection my concerns become apparent; the destruction of valuable natural resources.

These recent pieces are called

 ' A Beautiful white Death' - Beautiful because in our culture white is seen as beautiful bridal, pure, clean and innocent

                                              Death - coral turns white when dead

Gothic  Cabinet of unwearable fish bone jewellery

unwearable jewellery made up of  cured fish skin, bones seaweed, sharks teeth,dried anchoveys

Cabinet of curiosities with small books covers of fish skin, fish bones, boards with fish skin paintings in wax, fish eye ceramic and leather

  metal cabinet of curiosities with sponge, fish bones, fish skin dried anchoveys.

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Set up for assessment at Dartmouth Avenue Bath  of work 2nd year CAP Textiles and 2D.   The hangings behind  the cabinets are - Left to right.   Fabric printed with fish by the Gyotaku method.  Melted plastic inbeded with fish bones and fish prints. Net covered with fish bones.  Work entitled 'Marine Destruction -'

Display of fish eye pins and bones for Walcot

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Yesterday set up display of fish eye pins for Walcot exhibition but it isnt at Walcot chapel as the chapel had a leaking room so removed to
146 Walcot street an empty shop.  Small but more comfortable

  Antique Ruskin ceramic pins

Cured fish skins -Carp, Salmon and Wolf fish

Pins for display in Walcot Chapel exhibition

Pins for display in Walcot Chapel exhibition

Pins for display in Walcot Chapel exhibition

The remade broaches/pins I am making for the Walcot Chapel exhibition have as their base a pin that was made in 1900 by women who bought a kit which included a piece of ceramic from the Ruskin Art pottery and some pewter.   The pins soon became a badge worn by women to show commitment to The Arts and Crafts movement  with its rejection of mass machine production.   I have adapted these pins by using cured fish skins and making them look like fish eyes  so they can be worn to represent concerns that we are loosing fish stocks and abusing the seas with pollution.

Pike head 12" long

Pikes many sharp teeth

Head after boiling

Head stripped down

Bones from head drying

Bought a large Pike head in the market - 12" long. Boiled it and stripped the flesh off bones and dried them.  This produced many  bones some almost transparent.   The jaw is particularly interesting, it has three rows of small very sharp teeth the last row of which are hinged so they lock in to its prey.

wall in Pompeii villa

fish mosaic from Pompeii

fish mosaic from Pompeii

I have just returned from Italy and a visit to Pompeii and Herculaneum.   The walls of the buildings are made up of blocks set at an angle which reminded me of fish scales. The mosaics of fish are so amazingly detailed and show many kinds of fish.

Bees wax, oil paint silver leaf and ceramic eye 2015