This practice-based art and design project explores the potential use of contemporary materials and techniques in relation to extending aesthetic and structural possibilities of embroidery, with a focus on developing textile formations through the medium of ‘free stitch’ machine embroidery. Embroidery is often perceived by the non-enthusiast as a ‘granny craft’: an ‘old’ technique. Contemporary representations of embroidery suggest that new and innovative interpretations exist. Through investigation and experimentation with products, textiles and techniques, the embroidered artefacts that I have crafted are intended to disrupt the conventional perceptions of embroidery by alluding to conceptual associations of tradition and nostalgia. The aim of this project is to promote embroidery as a diverse medium; its use as a means of narrative, a valued skill that spans both art and craft disciplines, and to lift the status of craft by encouraging discourse of craft practice within an academic environment.
