Darren Ball Textile Artist
Exhibition Archive 2024
Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair 2024 with Design Nation 17-20 October 2024
Victoria Baths, Manchester
What is precious?
Gold, diamonds, a beautiful antique, something of great monetary value or rarity? Or an old handkerchief its value gained through recognition of the skillfully embroidered decoration or as an affectionate gift from someone long gone? A vintage knitting pattern recaptures memories of knitting or embroidering together, shared conversations and hand-knitted gifts. The precious might now be viewed as the act of making itself for our continued wellbeing in a pressured world.
My work references the domestic making of the past and our current interest in making for wellbeing. I repurpose vintage handkerchiefs as embroidered artworks. Using a store of fabric pieces collected over many years I applique and free embroider personal narratives, the characters taken from my collection of vintage Stitchcraft magazines. My materials may be from old fabric sample books or have been collected from fabric bins after many years of teaching. I aim to emphasise the ‘precious’ in my work by the beautiful presentation of the pieces and their intimate scale. I create contemporary work which references and celebrates the making and craftsmanship of the past. I am repurposing vintage fabrics for a new audience to be enjoyed now and in the future. I aim to promote the idea of buying less and buying better.
Exhibited Artwork
Being well (2023) £4,000
Made with hand-knitted Shetland wool and found fabrics. Appliqued and machine embroidered using a domestic sewing machine onto a vintage silk handkerchief and embellished with beads and sequins.
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In this piece I have considered possible sources of well-being. I particularly enjoy exploring the materiality of textiles. A repurposed vintage floral silk handkerchief forms the canvas for the piece and its floral design creates the composition, enveloping the figure in richness.
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Bespoke frame and art glass. H50cm x W50cm
Cultivation (2023) £3,500
Made with hand-knitted Shetland wool and found fabrics. Appliqued and machine embroidered using a domestic sewing machine onto a vintage handkerchief and embellished with beads and sequins.
An image from the September 1947 issue of Stitchcraft magazine forms the starting point for this piece. It is embroidered onto a vintage handkerchief which is edged with images of garden borders representing gardens of the 1940’s. Pieces of found embroidery from the period add actual examples of domestic stitch.
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Bespoke frame and art glass. H46cm x W46cm
Jul/Aug 1948 (2023) £3,500
Appliqued and machine embroidered using a domestic sewing machine onto a vintage handkerchief and embellished with beads and sequins.
Tonal study of a woman on a repurposed Apenzell handkerchief with a beautiful crisp decorative edge. It is embellished with subtlety to reflect the beauty and craftsmanship of the handkerchief, the beads mirroring the stitches used. The figure is taken from a 1948 Stitchcraft magazine.
Bespoke frame and art glass. H47cm x W47cm
Endeavour (2024) £4,500
Made with hand-knitted Shetland wool and found fabrics. Appliqued and machine embroidered using a domestic sewing machine onto patchwork and embellished with beads and sequins.
Endeavour was made in response to one of the first pieces that I created in 2015. It is updated to record the progression in my work up to this point.
I have used the same image from Stitchcraft Aug-Sept 1946 but it is on a more ambitious scale and includes a hand-knitted element which refers back further to my degree in fashion/textiles. The patchwork background was inspired by a visit to the Welsh Quilt Centre in Lampeter. There I saw a beautiful nineteenth century ‘Grandma's Garden Quilt’ in velvet and silk.
My patchwork is made from silks which I have had digitally printed over the years using images from work which I’ve previously made. The quilting reflects this passing of time. I have added an embroidery of a nasturtium transfer from the 1930’s. Endeavour celebrates my own making and the domestic making, knit, hand embroidery and patchwork of the 30’s and 40’s.
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Bespoke frame and art glass. H56cm x W52cm