On Thursday this week, I was in London and was able to attend the first day of the PRISM Textiles group exhibition, entitled ‘Warped’.
This intriguing show of work by 47 of the 70 PRISM group members takes place in a wonderful setting, namely The Art Pavilion in Mile End Park, London.
The building is full of light, not least because it is backed by an area of water, as seen in the photo below. In front, you can see Sally Spinks’ striking large-scale knitted sculpture, which subverts the idea of knitting as ‘a domestic craft that is not taken seriously’.
A number of Textile treatments are explored here, for example knitting (as above), sewing, weaving, knotting, dyeing, embroidery, beading. Another knitted piece is the witty exhibit by Barbara West, commenting on the fact that no-one is allowed to travel on an aircraft with knitting needles!
The image at the top of the post is a detail from Jo Coombs’ work, entitled ‘The Expedient Lie’, exploring the untruths that are regularly presented to us to ‘make excuses and deflect blame’. This is another work that evokes a wry smile.
The exhibit below looks at first glance as if it is a geology display in a science museum.
A closer view reveals complex pieces which are embroidered and beaded to suggest layers of beautiful rock formation.
Weaving was well represented. This piece by Anita Bruce was very striking:
Here is a closer look at the centre piece of the group:
This embroidery by Aran Illingworth, using machine and hand embroidery also draws the eye, with its expressive use of stitch.
This is just a very small selection of textile pieces from the show, shared by kind permission of PRISM.
Do visit the exhibition if you can. It runs from 20th April to 1 May 2023.
PRISM http://www.prismtextiles.co.uk @prismtextiles
‘Dotty Throw’ uses large-scale blocks for a dramatic effect (using polka-dot fabrics is optional!). Buy the pattern here
