Sewn Structures
May 2022
An exploration of two concepts: circular materials and gender stereotypes in craft practices.
Taking inspiration from the knitting process, where a garment can be undone and the item unraveled at the pull of a thread, the yarn can be recycled without degrading the fibres.
Textiles have often been a feminised art, with skills often passed from mother to daughter, where metal and wood working have often been a male dominated industry. This I have experienced myself: I was taught how to sew by my mother, and learnt textiles, pattern cutting and clothes-making at school, but not wood or metal working. I visited the Repair Cafe in Peckham, which divided electronic repairs on one floor solely occupied by male volunteers, while the second floor textile repairs were done only by women.
This project was an exploration of making structures with the sewing process rather than traditional joinery, while maintaining circular material use which could be undone and reused at the end of the project, without degradation from adhesives.
Taking inspiration from the knitting process, where a garment can be undone and the item unraveled at the pull of a thread, the yarn can be recycled without degrading the fibres.
Textiles have often been a feminised art, with skills often passed from mother to daughter, where metal and wood working have often been a male dominated industry. This I have experienced myself: I was taught how to sew by my mother, and learnt textiles, pattern cutting and clothes-making at school, but not wood or metal working. I visited the Repair Cafe in Peckham, which divided electronic repairs on one floor solely occupied by male volunteers, while the second floor textile repairs were done only by women.
This project was an exploration of making structures with the sewing process rather than traditional joinery, while maintaining circular material use which could be undone and reused at the end of the project, without degradation from adhesives.