Artist Statement:

The Stitch Lives of Others Part I, II and III, brings together three things - Lettering, Life and Art. Historical artefacts - letters, garments, and treasured family possessions provide inspiration for the artwork of the future -history and art seamlessly woven into a visual story. Stitch becomes the common theme, tracing the words, thoughts and feelings of the letter writers. These handwritten letters become the direct evidence of a certain time and place and the rich interplay of human emotions.

Part I: Tuke
18th century red, silk, brocade bodice

It was the letters of Daniel Hack Tuke (1827 - 1895) my husbands Great, great Grandfather and an eminent 19th century Doctor that proved the catalyst for this series. They charted his travels with his newly married bride, Esther Stickney, to European asylums in 1853; these simple handwritten documents convey a man who cared deeply about medicine and the well-being of his patients. Daniel was a member of the distinguished Tuke family, whose progressive and humane approach to mental health radically reformed the treatment of the mentally ill. The York Retreat in York, England was set up and founded in 1796 by William Tuke, and is still open today. Daniel writes home to his Father, Samuel, telling of the latest treatments adding sketches in pen and ink of the asylums he has visited. Esther meanwhile, relates the smaller details of life in letters to her Mother -the fashion abroad and shape of the bonnets!.
Amongst these letters, was an 18th century silk bodice. This became the canvas on which to tell the story of Daniel and Esther. The process was simple; working from the original letters, I began stitching the handwriting directly onto the bodice, building up the story in thread, some of which came from Esther's own sewing box. The rhythm and texture of the handwriting informed the stitch and vice versa. I also took inspiration from the unique examples of work from the Prinzhorn Collection; assembled between 1918 and 1921 by the German Art historian and psychiatrist Dr Hans Prinzhorn it contains around 5000 works which were made by people in psychiatric institutions in Europe.

Part II: Sainsbury
in two parts - jacket (kataginu) and trousers (hakama)

Early 20th century child's kamishimo, blue / white print cotton
A Kamishimo is a heavily-pleated, two piece kimono, worn for martial arts and festival days. This poignantly child-sized example became the canvas for stitched extracts from the reams of passionate and poetic love letters written by Japanese playwright Torahiko Kori (1890-1926), to his English lover Hester Sainsbury (1890-1967), my husband's grandmother.
Hester, daughter of Maria Tuke, was an artist and poet and her unconventional relationship with Kori lasted from 1917 until his death, to TB, in 1926. His letters to her, mainly posted from ships as he travelled to and from Japan, revealed a furious, yet doomed love and a fearful contemplation of his fate. Kori immortalised Hester in his letters to her, and it was clear that Hester shared this love for him. The collection was kept in a tapestry pouch, stitched and designed by her, including photos of him on his death-bed, his calling card, a photo collection of their travels to Switzerland, his paper passport, and the ultimate touching artefact - two locks of their hair, intertwined and tagged with a Buddhist prayer from a shrine. With such precious material, it was hard not to be enthused and to feel in awe and respect of the love they bore each other - here was a story too good to be left in moth-balls and an attic box.
The garment was treated separately becoming two pieces. The kataginu (jacket) is lined with a shibori-dyed handkerchief, once belonging to Hester and embroidered with letters of condolence. Textile and text interplay with random skeins of yarn in multi-colour with pearls, gems and buttons, to create the chaotic yet beautiful element coming through the letters and as a sinister reminder of Kori's diseased lungs.
The hakama (trousers) depict a stitched Swiss landscape, sparkling with semi-precious rock crystals- a place where they would holiday and where Kori was treated and died from TB. On the front, an original Japanese paper wrapper, interspersed with text - another remnant of their life together.

Part III: Shunan
1930's Viyella, silk-lined child's matinee jacket
Hester Sainsbury went on to marry leading Vorticist artist, Frederick Etchells (1886-1973), with whom she became a founder member of the Bloomsbury set. The couple had one child, Susan (mis-pronounced Shunan, when she was a child), who is my mother-in-law.
In this final piece of The Stitch Lives of Others series, I worked on this jacket, skilfully made for Susan by her mother, with a playful, childlike touch. Embroidered with copies of Susan's early drawings and childhood experiences and incorporating her school name tags and those of my nieces and nephews. I sincerely hope that the piece represents both an emblem of healing and closure for Hester - a resolution to the tragedy of Part 2 - and a uniting link to my own blood line. Particularly resonant was a beautifully written letter to Hester, in 1932, at the height of the great depression, from her father Harrington Sainsbury in which he says :
"There's a good time coming yet - may it soon be yours".
Harrington Sainsbury to his daughter, Hester, 1932.