I begun this project by researching the idea of mending and how far this word can go. I love traditional craft methods and was immediately drawn to the concept of using my embroidery skills to 'fix' found objects.
I became immediately interested in the work of Yoko Ono and he performance work, Promise Piece (2010). I love the idea of breaking ceramics and attempting to put back together. I find it interesting when you see something as delicate as a ceramic reassembled in an old shop.
I also became heavily influenced by Kader Attir's work. I love the exaggerated mended marks and the concept of creating sculpture from 'broken' things.
I want to use everyday objects so that they can be mended in a messy and exaggerated way, yet still retaining their original purpose. I begun to experiment with plates as the flatter surfaces I felt would of been easier to work with initially. I ran into complications from the off as the surfaces were to hard and delicate for me to use thread to attach together. I wanted to drill holes in the plates, but due to everyday ceramics being fired at high temperatures, this was impossible. I then had to develop a new plan of how to achieve my concept.
In the end I settled with glueing part together and darning over the holes. The negative space is really important within this works as this is the area to be darned over. I used red thread as a constant across all the final works. I enjoy the symbolism of red and I feel like when my work is exhibited, the red thread will make it the concept stand out and help to make the work look like a collection.
The underlying theme that I wanted to put forward was the perception of recycling in a traditional sense. 20 years ago if say you accidentally broke a plate in your home, often they would be mended and not thrown away. I believe that through mending, we can live in a more sustainable society and learn that beautiful things can be made from broken things.
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