Botanical Weave (2007)

The theme of botanical weave developed from childhood memories of visiting botanical gardens and experiencing the excitement of entering another world inside the glasshouses. I wanted to produce work that captured the atmosphere of the tropical world of the glasshouses. The aim of the project is to emphasise the natural beauty of the environment, drawing attention to it while encouraging people to appreciate and look after it.

It is a large-scale installation piece created with fibre optic, wire, monofilament and hand-dyed paper yarn. Each piece of the installation is intricately braided and sculpted with traditional techniques. It is the outcome as well as the process of my work that interests me. How the viewer connexts with it, and how it encourages self-exploration and promotes a sense of well-being is important.

The installation was designed for the Huddersfield Degree Show 2007. Interactivity and inspiring others were important factors. Viewers can stand inside the installation and be surroudned by scuptural forms. Everyone takes something different fromt he work, depending on how they interact with it, what they experience when they walk through it, and whether they decide to touch it.

It is a versatile work that can be displayed in a gallery setting or in a botanical garden. The piece is made up of individual sculptural forms that, once hung together, form an installation. Each section of the work is hung separately, allowing the end result to adapt to and interact with the space in which it is displayed.

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