SLOUGH MAKES ITS MARK

When I first visited Slough last year I was really struck by the effort that had been put into making the pedestrianised main street so attractive, with a variety of commissioned art work, including poetry.

I was particularly taken by a piece set into the pavement, called Teardrop. The patterns contained within the granite shape reminded me very much of textile stitches and I decided to base my piece for the exhibition on this.

As part of my background research I contacted the designer of
Teardrop, Anne Smyth. She wrote:

" ... these floor pieces were initially inspired by textiles found in
the charity shops on the High Street, in particular the stitching
backs of the highly decorated fabrics. Used almost as a metaphor for
the rich networks and activity going on behind the scenes in Slough"

and sent me some photos .....

including a photo from her sketch book showing her response to the
original textiles that inspired her.

Details of my piece for the Slough Exhibition: 30 inches square. Made of cotton.
Here is what it currently looks like, not quite completed.