In Search of Reprieve

Category: Apparel

I walk to escape. I walk to breathe. I walk to feel. The correlation between increased mental wellbeing and accessing nature is well documented. Walking is my escape from the chaos of life and is how I reconnect with nature. In Search of Reprieve explores my personal experience. Drawing inspiration from photos taken on my trips to the countryside, it also explores the influence of the British landscape on the natures of the strong female characters portrayed in literature and film. On the North York Moors, I walked in the footsteps of Wuthering Heights’ Cathy Earnshaw, feeling the effects of the sun, wind and rain on my senses. On a physical level, my work focuses on the textures and colours seen in nature and the relationship of the fabric to them: the bonding and breaking down of textiles and how this reflects the details of the landscape itself. Beginning with Caroline Bingley’s remark “My goodness, did you see her hem? Six inches deep in mud” from the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, I explored the concept of how the landscape and environment affect what we are wearing through a range of techniques, from dyeing to mixed media and knit. Through material-led investigation, I utilised the felting properties of wool to create structures which I combined with lighter weight materials to create unique textures. Using British wool for sustainability and as a material link to the landscape, I combined different knit techniques on domestic, dubied and shima machines with different yarns and wool roving to create textiles with a weathered, organic feel, which invite the viewer to touch and engage with on a sensory level.