Address: Museum in the Park, Stratford Park, Stratford Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 4AF]
'A Collection Of Memories'
I have always been passionate about keeping my work personal, allowing myself to follow a dream. My inspiration came from studying old family photo albums revealing close relatives in a series of black and white photographs. These wonderful photographs, which were mainly taken by grandpa, captured fascinating places involving strong detail, which really caught my eye and I immediately wanted to find out more.
After asking family members, I began to learn much more about my family history, which automatically created a story line. After visiting the Museum In The Park I was inspired by the floral china, fans and the old letters displayed in the glass cabinet. I then started to print a series of old family letters, and while doing so I felt the work began to focus on a theme of absence, and the physical sense in that I, as a designer, have began to leave traces of print on my work.
The text identified family members, the place and the date it was taken. As these letters reveal a special moment that can be captured and can be kept forever, I wanted to create my designs in the same way by creating vintage fabric coat-hangers, allowing my work to develop and tell tales of their own.
