Article 8
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Libbertine
About my work
After Grenfell Tower burnt down, I was outraged to discover that six months earlier, the Grenfell Tower Action Group had posted about their fears a fire would result in serious loss of life. Everyone was too busy or uncaring to look at their concerns. When I watched the tower burn I could see their souls escaping in the smoke; I was very affected and I knew I needed to represent this terrible injustice. The cladding was cheap and put there to make the tower look better as it was in the eyeline of some very expensive properties. The gas lines ran down the stairwell, the only escape route. These lives were deemed less consequential than others.
I cannot wait to see the finished quilts. This international project represents a chapter in history. It should be recognised as a work of protest and unity, and as an indication that the will and the compassion to address our problems does exist.
- Libbertine
About me
Maker of things that question, it is all about extremes with me. I am bound to question structures of all kinds. This is manifest in a number of ways, mostly in a passion for the freedom of sewing-machine sketching and embroidery, but I am also fascinated by geometric metal structures. The hard and the soft path is the one I tread (I am also either dieting or overeating). I have just finished my second year of a Contemporary Design Crafts BA at Hereford College of Arts.
As a teenager I decided to reject modern society. I had never felt included and so the natural step forward was to separate myself from it, and to become what is now called a New Age traveller. What I was seeking was a greater connection with nature and my environment, and a less materialistic approach to life. I lived sustainably and worked hard for the little I had. It was not a lawless existence but nonetheless I was persecuted and hounded by both the general public and law enforcement. It was a small glimpse into the world that many experience to a much higher degree.
Around me today I see the dehumanisation of people who are struggling, people who need our help, in many cases because of the crisis in their own lands created in some part by the leaders of ours. It scares me to see that humans do not know how to learn from the mistakes of the past and it saddens me that we are likely to see this suffering magnified in the coming years. I have spent a considerable amount of time fostering the skills of others and helping people to develop their moral fibre, within an educational setting and the creative realm and with my own children.
At last I decided that it was also important to foster the same within myself. Tired of holding my tongue about inequality within the workplace, home and wider world, I began to use my love of craft to give a voice to others who perhaps don’t have it. I use thread to explore the narratives of others; I find reward in expressing other people’s voices, hearing them and drawing the threads of their tales into breakable threads of soft canvas. The process of free-motion sewing allows me a simple approach to quickly express these tales.
Sharing this experience with fellow fibre artists across the globe is incredible. Seeing the blocks come in and being posted up on social media made me feel a unity and connection with others I had not encountered. Seeing the depth of skill and context was truly humbling and inspiring, and to have my work woven into a whole gave me a great sense of pride and achievement.
Other blocks about Article 8
