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The material I am drawn to right now, is wire. Although wire is a harder material than cloth, it can act like a thread, be woven, sculpted, but its tensile strength means it holds its shape more easily. It is such a versatile material, has a history of extensive use, is inextricably woven into our modern lives, and can be used to create work for both indoor and outdoor settings.
I live in a Derbyshire village which housed wire making factories, until the 1980’s. The wire company, Johnson & Nephew made wire which was used in the P.L.U.T.O pipeline in the second world war, wire for suspension bridges, communication, farming amongst many other things of dramatic impact around the world. The majority of the factories are currently vacant and derelict, however the White Peak Distillery have moved in to one of the buildings, and new life is being breathed into this historically important site.
It feels important for me to tell this story, using wire and narrative, as well as other artforms. I find that the local, historical, industrial processes and the materials created from this seem to seep into my making, symbiotically. I have lived in various textile based areas in the UK, including living in part of an old building that was a wool processing mill in Devon, which could maybe have influenced the path into feltmaking!
I have lived in various textile based areas in the UK, including living in part of an old building that was a wool processing mill in Devon, which could maybe have influenced the path into feltmaking!
I am currently exploring the site and artistic development with another site specific artist, Heidi Luker, and we are in the process of engaging other organisations and partnerships. We are happy to hear from anyone with stories or photographs, so please feel free to contact me. The wireworks not only employed a large number of local people, but also had an important role socially.
