Thursday 30 January 2020

Please Touch at Sense

Some of you may remember my post about our collaboration with On The Surface at the West Country Quilt and Textile Show, entitled Please Touch. It was very well received, although the idea of not being allowed to touch art was so ingrained in our visitors that we did have to give many people very strong encouragement to actually touch the pieces!

We are very pleased to be bringing a selection of our Please Touch work back to its inspirational home at Sense. the charity which supports deafblind people and those with complex disabilities, for whom the sense of touch is so important. You can read more about their work on their website here.

The exhibition opens next week at TouchBase Pears, running from 3rd to 28th February, and we are really looking forward to sharing our work there. Inspired by Sense, these pieces were designed specifically to be explored by touch, with interesting texture created in various ways - weaving, winding and stitching with yarn, fabric, felt, paper and paint, adding buttons and beads. Here is a selection:

Weaving Waves - Cath
Woven painted card, printed with hand-made printing blocks, machine-stitched

Mono Media - Cath
Layered synthetics, stitched, heat-treated, mounted on cotton duck & painted white

Tower of Holes - Cath
Vessel, wet felted with resists and simple hand stitch

Twisted Tower - Cath
Vessel, layered synthetics, stitched & heat-treated, central band of metal foil, painted

Deb's dress - Gaia

Close-up
Twiddle-Fiddle - Bernice
Printed & dyed cotton, machine stitched, added textures & twiddly bits
Acquiescence - Vicki
Close-up

Black & White: Grey Precision - Dia
Wet felted using Puku Finn sheep fibres, resist, metal coffee capsules & organza

Blue & Green: Bluish Climber - Dia
Green fabric, blue & green wool & blue plastic coffee capsules

If you are anywhere near Selly Oak, Birmingham, in the next few weeks, please pop in to TouchBase Pears to see our work - you could also check out the Hive Cafe!

Cath