Textiles are with us throughout our lives; holding, containing, and wrapping our bodies – fundamental to how we protect ourselves as we walk through this world.
Clothing and other domestic textiles remind us of the vulnerability of the human; they are embedded with the narratives and very cells of the people who once wore and touched them.
About The Project
The exhibition is the culmination of a project spanning a year of engagement with women, some of whom have faced various challenges including surviving domestic violence, homelessness, addiction issues, traumatic childhoods, poor mental health. Together, they have reflected on the fact that when a group of us are suffering trauma, it affects the populace. The work is cathartic and a space for healing: sitting together, connecting through stories, gaining strength from the natural world, reclaiming inner strength, reframing narratives, and taking back power.
Its findings are recorded through making; textile sessions culminating in exhibitions. Techniques explored include natural dyeing with plant extracts and the sewing of protective amulets. Textile work made by women who have taken part in the project will be on display in venues in England and at Flowerfield Arts Centre.
‘I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.’ Audre Lorde
Women who do not identify as experiencing trauma take part in making sessions and contribute their work to the exhibitions in an act of witness and solidarity.
We use everyday textiles, from napkins to christening robes, to explore healing after devastation; casting our minds over the things that support us, love us, and push us forward on our journey.
The exhibition pieces feature delicate free machine embroidery that depicts gunmen alongside imagery of the Irish sun goddess Aine.
www.flowerfield.org/events/all-us-women-janey-moffatt
ALL US WOMEN – Janey Moffatt | 7 September – 26 October (FREE EXHIBITION)
