| Sabi Westoby |
|
2015
My journal quilts for this year are based on photographs I have taken of the Southbank Centre, one of my favourite places in London. It is not my intention to make pictorial pieces but abstract ones, focussing on the lines, shapes and textures of the architecture. This theme lends itself to a limited, almost monochromatic, colour palette. The fabrics were monoprinted with textile paints on gelli plates. I concentrated on achieving blocks of paint with uneven textures and application to mirror the decaying and stained surfaces of the venue. Using my photographs as a guide, I cut out shapes to suggest details of the buildings and raw edge fused them to backing fabric. Where needed, I added highlights using markal paintsticks, a forgiving medium for textiles.
The Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Room and Purcell Room are now closed until 2017 for repair and refurbishment. I'm sure that it will look interesting but in a different way - for me the appeal of the venue is in the wear and tear; in the signs of ageing; in the water stains creating layers of colour and texture, rich material indeed for the textile artist.
Clicking on an image will enlarge it.
The Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Room and Purcell Room are now closed until 2017 for repair and refurbishment. I'm sure that it will look interesting but in a different way - for me the appeal of the venue is in the wear and tear; in the signs of ageing; in the water stains creating layers of colour and texture, rich material indeed for the textile artist.
Clicking on an image will enlarge it.
The twelve pieces have been joined together to make a wall hanging. Some old and rusted nuts do the job of spacers and, in time, may well add to the atmosphere of weathering by rusting away parts of the works.