the Art of Sewing

« The Sewing Circle Rethread »  gathered 23 Artists exploring the beauty of needlework in the arts and crafts at the Saint Pancras gallery in Camdem.  

It is a very nice collective show to be part off, as a lot of artists are also friends, and it is like a family exhbition where the atmosphere is warm and kind.  

At the opening, I choose a red black & white look mixing  cow & zebras for an hybrid animal style. 
picture by Richard Kaby 

Look at me in the eyes by Michele Martinoli 

On a orange fury fabric base,  hand stitched  vintage dolls eyes adorned with beads & pearls  the best part is that the open and close, winking at you! 

By Anthony Lycett 

I realised this statement & uncanny neckpiece during many night shoot of extra work on set in order not to waste my time.  It is funny to see the other Supporting Artists reacting to work, even the costume team intrigued, asking me what I am doing. Someone even though I was making a mat for my toilet because of the semi-circular shape! Sewing work is often depreciated as it is associated with woman's craft or household task.  A laddish guy thinking he was making a fun joke  told me "when you finish with this, can  you sew back the button of my shirt?"  as if it would make me happy, comparing my practice to mundane  uncreative task. as if you see a painter and you come to ask him "could you come to paint my kitchen?".  

collection of jewellery by Richard Kaby 

I find very interesting that an exhbition focus on sewing work at it is often considered as minor art.  

First, it is the best technique to use to create wearable art the the use of thread & needle in the strongest  technique to keep element together compared to glue.  It takes more time but the effect is just better & stronger.  

Toy matriarchy headpiece by Richard Kaby 

Textiles and embroidery, traditionally dominated by women, have long been perceived as inferior to other art forms due to the privileging of masculine spaces.

the words “textile” and “text,” coming  from the Latin word textus, means “fabric,” “connection,” and “interwoven.” Our culture evolved in such a way that it was mostly men who interwove words to create texts, as words and language became carriers of power and law. The interweaving of threads was reduced to “women’s” work, an unexceptional craft compared with the intellectual “weaving of words.” Its function – to decorate and to provide warmth and comfort – was synonymous with the role assigned to women in traditional cultures. Despite the technical complexity and visual richness of some textile and embroidery techniques, because of the word “feminine” these works were not considered on par with painting. The dominant “masculinity” of painting is evidenced, in particular, by the use of the words “writing” and “reading” with regard to paintings.

"The devil is in the details " all handstitched one by one by Richard Kaby 

Embroidery and textile are becoming increasing popular mediums in contemporary world art. But in conservative societies, embroidery and textile are still perceived as having decorative functions and are presented as women’s hobbies in which ready patterns are merely copied, thus having a somewhat discriminatory connotation.

✨the dolls goddess & and her sphinx ✨ introducing my new partner in crime 😻Bonnie😻 wearing dolls head adorned with gold rhinestones neckshrine made for @suekreitzman
picture By Anthony Lycett 

November was marked by a new addition to the family, our Birman cat Bonnie who have been the new victim of our photographic experiments. I like the combination on the picture the dolls hair and cat fur hat give a feral dimension to the piece.   

By Anthony Lycett 

Hand-stitched glamourous shrinking heads on golden beads oriental style base. 

by Richard Kaby 

Later during the month a "meet the artists gathering" was an opportunity to view and buy artworks as well as meet and chat within a gathering of vibrant colours in fabric and fashions. 

I was wearing a female clown costume as an everyday life dress. I love he idea of wearing a costume theatre as an daily basis dress in order to blur the line between life and performance! 

presenting to Sue Kreitzman my golden barbie head neckshrine worshiping her as a colourful goddess by Richard Kaby 

 

details of hours of endless golden beads hand-stitching By Anthony Lycett 

 Each dolls had been adorned by golden Swarovski crystals on the face and beads and sequins hand-stitched around their pony tail.  

golden dolls head worshiping their arty goddess by Richard Kaby 

details By Anthony Lycett 

Clown dress accessorised with a pink hair mermaid headpiece & "tour de France" bicycle necklace.  picture by Richard Kaby 

By Anthony Lycett 

A friend tagged me on a Facebook status of someone offering a full bin mag of mermaid toys given to her local charity shop. They couldn't sell it in the charity as toy as they didn't have the CE label. I jumped on the opportunity and on my bike to collect the precious non conforming goods which was gold for me.  I didn't anticipated it will be so many so after walking few hundreds meter with the 3 full bins bags alongside my bike, I had to resolve myself to call my boyfriend to pick me up in the car.  

By Anthony Lycett 

outfit details by Richard Kaby 

with Florent Bidois by Richard Kaby 

by Richard Kaby 

Meeting the amazing  Louise Joelle at November colour walk
pink & yellow is my favourite colours combinations like in Jacques Demy Demoiselles de Rochefort.
picture  by Richard Kaby 

traditionnal duo picture with Sue Kreitzman by Richard Kaby 

by Richard Kaby 

By Anthony Lycett 

I created this kitsch colourful mermaid looks by stitching some dolls on a pink feather boa, headpieces and using the tails as earrings.

By Anthony Lycett 

with dolls head headpiece, have some multiples heads coming out of your headBy Anthony Lycett 

By Anthony Lycett 

By Anthony Lycett 

Each month bring its batch of in unique Self.styled portraits stolen from the original project., this time it was to Reckless to play the game. 

psychedelic ikea furniture necklace By Anthony Lycett 

I love the contrast between the  tough gangsta attitude and super fluffy outrageously pink & girly my little pony necklace, the art of redefining masculinity

even badass rapper 🎤🎧 can rock a cute kawaii my little pony  necklace ✨available on my online shop 👉🏻sophiecochevelou.tictail.com among my new Christmas 🎄 collection ✨ the great @recklezzisprimo shoot for @self.styled

alternative fashion shoot for Toksick Magazine styled by Ane Kruse where kids wear my designs like dinosaur jackets & necklace, little car necklace & flamingo outfit.  find the all shoot HERE 

I lend some of my pieces to the stylist and Kruse who I collaborated before and she combined it with some high fashion street wear Fields of pony clothing and Vivienne Westwood pieces.

She used her kids as model (never to young to start working!) and I like the idea to children to wear adult size clothes for a cheeky,  falsely  lay back urban style result.  

wearing little car necklace & dino jacket 

Photographer: Nicola Favaron http://www.nicolafavaron.com/ @nicolafavaron | Talent: Mathilda and Gabriel | Make-up and hair: Rosie McGinn @rosieeemua | Stylist: Ane Kruse @anekru