I have been thinking about making these for such a long time, I love the idea of creating hollow forms, with spaces inside to contain things. Hidden things, secret things, precious things. I love lockets, but find traditional designs really limited and predictable, so I decided to make my own variation.
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These pod forms contain very small crochet and felt elements, which are based on moss, funghi and lichen growth. I like the way lichen grows in cracks and crevices, it asserts itself and thrives in the smallest spaces. It has resilience and vigour whilst being delicate and beautiful. Rich in colour, pattern and texture, I am always drawn to it.
I have been exploring ways to recreate it with knit, crochet, felt and hand stitch for a long time, gradually reducing the thickness of the threads and the scale of my work, until I have arrived at these very teeny pieces.
The contrast in texture between the metal and threads appeals to me, and the making techniques make me happy. The process of quietly constructing crochet forms is gentle, calming, soft and intuitive. It is in stark contrast to working in metal. Sitting at my workbench sawing, filing, hammering and soldering is labour intensive and methodical; planning the step by step stages of construction to factor in melting temperatures, and the need to constantly clean, sand and refine. There is a discipline to it, and working on such a small scale means every detail counts. As whole pieces, making and combining the very different elements satisfies my love of these different ways of working. I make because I enjoy making.
This new work will be launched at The British Craft Trade Fair in Harrogate this weekend. I am curious to see what people think of it.
