University of Cumbria   2007/2008

Maggie Ayres

This body of work is based on the idea of disintegration, opening up and unravelling.

I have used a variety of techniques and materials, including dyeing, screen printing, felting, machine and hand stitching on silks and loose weave cottons.

Threads are disentangled; fibres break down; weave is broken; gaps and holes appear.

Textures are made uneven as wear takes over.

Flows may become interrupted but a continuity can remain in the rhythm of the lines and markings.

There comes a moment in your life when you realise everything you've done has been shaped by the boxes your parents, teachers, peers, cultural and social pressures have squeezed you into.

At that point you can make yourself as comfortable as possible, or you can try and tear free.

The Narrative underlying all of my work is one of inner searching and discovery; tearing down assumptions and expectations laid upon us from childhood onwards.

There is a need to untangle experiences of the past, examining the openings created in the threads of memory and emotion.

This leads to re-growth and new beginnings.