Satin Route

A neglected sheet of metal found in the bamboo forests of Nishi Otsu in Japan became the site of an artwork ‘Satin Route’. The patient and gentle scratching into its matt surface patina with a tapestry needle was to discover a soothing accumulation of shinning marks, taking it deeper into a treasured object, akin to a shimmering bolt of satin: the reward of a simple process of repetition.
‘Satin Route’ was part of a larger body of work created during the Though the Surface project, presenting me with the opportunity to work in Nishi Otsu in Japan for three months alongside the established textile artist Teruyoshi Yoshida. It was both an innovative and collaborative process of exchange of ideas, techniques and cultural experiences using textiles as the main medium of expression that we perceived on many different conceptual and contextual levels. Effervescent Trail was exhibited as part of the Through the Surface international touring exhibition with venues including The James Hockey Galleries, The Surrey Institute of Art & Design University College, Farnham January 27 – March 20 2004. Tour: Hove Museum and Art Gallery, January 31 – 21 March 2004; Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich, April 06 – May 16 2004; Piece Hall Art Gallery, Halifax June 26 – August 30 2004; Nottingham Castle, Nottingham September 26 – November 11 2004; The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan 2005.