Originally posted to @thenewartgallerywalsall Instagram page
On realising the growing relationship that my crochet had to Dad's photographs, I began to consider the significance of where my crochet practice took place - mostly at home, mostly from the sofa, sometimes from bed. Always surrounded by comfortable, familiar security; the nest I'd created for myself.
I've always been a homebody, always preferring to stay home than be out. Lockdown living suited me, giving me an excuse to embrace my hermit lifestyle.
When I was growing up, my dad always worked from home. This was significant for me, for the simple reason that my dad was always around, always close by. We were homebodies together. He would escape the desk in the afternoons to meet me at the bus stop after school, and when he logged off for the day we'd dunk biscuits in tea together while Noel Edmonds bantered with The Banker on the telly. Mum wouldn't be home until later on, so Dad and I would cook our 'golden dinners' together in the evenings. These were meals mum wouldn't appreciate, but we loved; oven chips, Birds Eye chicken pies, baked beans... all golden, see?
Home was important, and it was safe, happy, comfortable. In the wake of the pandemic, these were all feelings that we felt universally hungry for - ironically despite being confined to our homes. It's these feelings I associate with home that are so widely valuable. So when I attended the 'Studio Escapes' studio residency at @wlv_soa in August 2021, the meeting of like-minded hungry artists birthed one of the most restorative, healing weeks that many of us had felt in a long time. We came together during that week, relishing in the joy of sharing spaces again. From sound baths and incense, to cooking and sharing, we bonded over our need to create and share. We laughed, we sang and we sought refuge in each other and the safe space we'd created.
On Sat 16 July I will be opening up the Artists’ Studio to host 'Lounge'. If any of the themes I've spoken about resonate with you, then I would love to meet you at my Lounge event, to chat and make amongst biscuits and chai. Look out for more details here soon - but for now, pencil it in