Dark Stories by Rachel Clowes
Troop Deployment (part of Public Stealth) by Martin Vowles
As part of its new Homespun exhibition programme, London Printworks Trust in partnership with the Atrium Gallery at Glasgow School of Art and the Embroiderers’ Guild launches Surface, an exhibition of new textile work by two young artists Rachel Clowes and Martin Vowles, winners of London Printworks Trust’s Bursary Scheme 2003/04. Following the exhibition in London, Surface will tour to the Atrium Gallery at Glasgow School of Art in May 2005.
The aim of the Bursary Scheme is to assist young practitioners in making the jump from life as a student to that of a professional artist. They receive free studio space, £2,500 towards the production of new work and one-to-one professional advice and support. The work in Surface has been made as a direct result of the residency programme.
Rachel Clowes graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2003 with first class honours in Embroidery. For Surface she has created a new body of work -‘Dark Stories’, which examines the ways people mark their bodies through tattooing and scarification. It takes the form of a series of dresses marked with flock printed ‘scars’. The first group of dresses forms a family and represents different stages of life from babyhood to maturity. As each dress ages, the density of the scarification grows, showing how our lives become richer as we grow older and have more stories to tell.
The second series – a set of white organza dress forms – explores the way scarification can mark out an individual, highlighting personal achievements and enhancing the social status of their owner. The dress forms are printed with Clowes’ family memorabilia and include an old family crest, CV’s and certificates for GCSE’s and swimming proficiency.
If you are interested in learning more about body scarification visit the following websites (insert links).
For Surface, Martin Vowles has created a fictional room shared by two media savvy but war weary 25 year olds. All the items in the room – the chairs, curtains, clothing, even the tea towels, have been literally bombarded with information about the conflict. Sadly, both occupants have become unaware of the information engulfing them, as they get on with their everyday lives. They are no longer even aware that their TV is constantly tuned to BodyDaq (like NasDaq), a channel which airs the number of deaths since 9/11 on a month-by-month basis giving comparative values for each side of the conflict.
Vowles graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2003 with an MA in Communication Graphics. He currently runs ispeaktoyou, an issue-based communications design consultancy whose clients include Levis, the Design Council and One Click Health. You can find out more about Martin’s work at www.ispeaktoyou.co.uk
Surface is part of our Homespun exhibition programme, which aims to profile emerging talent, innovation and diversity in contemporary printed textiles practice. Kindly supported by the Moose Foundation for the Arts, the Leverhulme Trust and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.