This
embroidery entitled Hidden Fragments was created in response to a
visit to the painted churches of Moldavia.
The 16th century Orthodox churches of the Moldavia district of
Romania are unique in having extensive painting on the outside walls
as well as the entire interior. Amazingly most of these exterior
paintings remain intact although some sections exposed to the
extreme winters of Romania have deteriorated. It is these sections
which give an enticing glimpse of what has been. Shadowy figures and
faded colours have a mystery coupled with a sadness of what has been
lost.The work is made
up of a number of ‘fragments’ suspended from an oak frame. These are
of two types. Some fragments consist of clay tablets with a surface
of painted Bondaweb triangles and emulsion paint. Others are made up
of machine and hand embroidery, stitched on paper layered with PVA,
covered with fine silk which has been further stitched and then
sanded away leaving slivers of attached silk.
It was short-listed for the
Charles Henry Foyle Award, and has been on
display at the Redditch Needle Museum. |
