New work for this exhibition references research study of Elizabethan blackwork embroidery dating from the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
The dyed black thread of blackwork, its colour fixed with iron as a mordant, corrodes over time and disappears, leaving holes and traces of the needle point on the finely-woven, white linen. It is these qualities that have inspired a new collection of work in enamel.
Heat Exchange 2 is curated by Beate Gegenwart and Elizabeth Turrell, who invited artists to focus on the continuing exploration of vitreous enamel as an exciting, progressive medium with innovative opportunities for the contemporary maker.
Craft in the Bay Cardiff: 12 September – 8 November 2015
Fife Contemporary Art & Craft St Andrews Museum, Scotland: 12 December – 28 February 2016
Gallery Waidspeicher Kulturhof zum Guldenen Kronbacken, Erfurt, Germany: 19 March – 1 May 2016
Bayerischer Kunstgewerbe-Verein (Gallery for Applied Arts), Munich, Germany: 20 May – 2 July 2016
Crimson Trace l & ll
Brooches, 2015
Enamel, steel, oxidised silver
6 x 6cm
Photo: Michael Wolchover