Laura McCafferty

I was invited by Jo hall, editor of Embroidery Magazine and exhibition curator, to exhibit a collection of existing work and make new work inspired by Runcorn. My work is quite personal and I need to engage with the subjects that I plan to document; I had to find a way into the heart of Runcorn. I achieved this by stumbling upon a junk shop called Alice’s Attic. It was here that I found the photo album of Hilda Green’s life and the shop’s owner (and local historian) Maggie Fowler. Hilda, a former local resident had left her possessions to Maggie to sort through and sell. Maggie had to go through all Hilda’s possessions- a daunting an intimate task for anyone. From the belongings, Maggie choose to salvage Hilda’s photographs and put them in an album for visitors to the shop to look through; the book has become a kind of archive of local history. For the exhibition I created two new pieces, a large scale portrait of Maggie with all her junk surrounding her and one of a collection of Hilda’s photographs.

Of the exhibition, Jo Hall writes, ‘The exhibition Material Evidence brings together four artists- whose work reflects the importance of making and materials in contemporary art. They represent a new wave of artists and makers with a fresh take on the boundaries between art and craft. By exploring a range of processes, each artist reveals an affinity for working with the physicality of the textile medium in a fresh and exciting way.’

Alongside the exhibition the artists gave a public talk and I ran a drawing workshop, where I taught a group of adults to draw in my style.

To read a review of the magazine in A-N please visit, http://www.a-n.co.uk/interface/reviews/single/508936