Jenni
Burrows' work is featured in 'Wood and Fibre' at Walford Mill Crafts until 26th October 2014. Jenni's practice is about ‘embroidery’
and ‘thread work’, producing artifacts to express concepts influenced by her cultural heritage. Here Jenni tells us more about the processes and thinking behind her work.
Through my investigation of indigenous and traditional
embroidery, specifically hand embroidery, process is fundamental but within a
context of traditional embroidery. Taking time to reflect through process has enabled me to take more care in my
practice, developing a deeper understanding of my work; and to articulately
express the message I give to the audience.
The core ingredient of my
practice is thread; thread connects the key themes; care, value, process,
memory and connection. The role of thread in handwork is the foundation to my
practice. The physical interaction
between the materials, thread and me and the repetition of the stitching
process consolidates my thoughts, enabling me to reflect in practice and after
practice.
The meaning of thread derives from my cultural heritage, not only does it begin with my
own relationship to thread, as a small child making my own embroideries, it
travels much deeper, acting as a metaphor, connecting me to previous
generations in my family. This is significantly apparent when working on
objects passed down to me.
Before working with thread, the process begins with foraging
gleanings ‘left by the reaper after the harvest’. The gleanings I select,
possess an enticing material property, an opportunity to be re-invented from a
pre-existing life. Gleaning everyday materials and found objects combined with
traditional thread work are a celebration of both historical and cultural
practices that have been handed down to me from the women in my family.
I take
discarded and unloved pieces to give them new life and value. The ‘gleanings’
absorb the energies, thoughts and stories of other people; each piece reveals a
story lost in time. The land together with my memories and experiences is
fundamental to my practice.
For 'Wood and Fibre' at Walford Mill Crafts I have restored a new seat for a maid’s wooden chair
that has been in our family for the last seventy years. The chair has stood as
a silent testimony to my creativity, waiting to be reinvented. A perfect opportunity
to bring value to the valueless; breathing in new life. The cane seating has
deteriorated and though no longer functional but it has been kept, broken for
many years.
The exhibition is the
perfect opportunity to create a piece of art depicting the correlation between
furniture and textiles; encouraging the audience to view embroidery, not only
as decoration but as a functional discipline to repair. I have used hessian (a
supermarket bag), found electrical wire and old, beautiful discarded silk and
viscose threads to create drawn thread work. The hessian replaces the hessian
cushion my mother uses on her old ford tractor.
I also make my own threads
combining the strength of the hessian with the delicacy of silk threads and
skill of drawn thread work. I have used different shades of threads to
illustrate wear and tear as the colour fades through usage. The different
threads give a hint that this chair has been repaired by many different people. As I manipulated the
threads, my memories joined those of the generations before me and the skills
that have been handed down continue to survive.
If you would like to find out more about Jenni's work she will be giving a free artist's talk on Saturday 25th October at 2pm in the Gallery at Walford Mill Crafts, Wimborne, Dorset , BH21 1NL
You can also find out more about Jenni via her website
