The exhibition I went to on Monday with Nicky was called "The Dementia Darnings". We both found it incredibly moving. Jennifer Dutton, an artist, spent a number of years caring for her mother, who had dementia. To cope with her mum's decline, she started turning photographs into pieces of textile art. Her mum died in 2015. The exhibition has been touring internationally since!
We were both quite blown away by these images. From a personal point of view, it was really poignant. From a technical point of view, I was amazed by the skill and execution of the portraits.
In the way that an artist might use strokes of a crayon to build up colour on the page, she used thousands of strands of fine wool to form a picture on a net backing.
From a distance, these really looked like photos - but close up the stitching was visible. I found an online interview with Jenni [from the People's Friend magazine, here] which explains all this. I also found a YouTube clip from an earlier exhibition somewhere else. [See below] Here are some of the pictures I took with Nicky.
Child, bride and mother
Picture and detail of stitching
Nicky!
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Thank you Nicky for suggesting we went together. Do look out for this exhibition - definitely worth a visit.
Wow, amazing work.
ReplyDeleteYou'd have loved it, K
DeleteWhat amazing work - what patience she had. Incredible
ReplyDeletePhenomenal patience - both in producing these skilled pieces, and in lovingly caring for her Mum as her condition deteriorated.
DeleteYou have summed up our experience of the exhibition so well. It was so good to see this with someone else to share insights with. It was wonderful to see how a visual image can catch the spirit of a person so intensely and heartbreaking to see how age and dementia can change and ruin, as we see it, the outward and inward structures. I find it helpful to believe that death is not the end of the story! Nicky K
ReplyDeleteYes, always good to be able to share insights with a companion at such an event. And yes, some pieces caught the sparkle in her eyes which was dulled in the later ones. The paler pieces reflecting her latter years in bed contrasting with earlier bright images. And YES! the hope of eternal life is so precious. We mourn the loss of those we love - but our faith reminds us that we will be truly reunited one day.
DeleteWow, these are incredible! The texture!!! Kx
ReplyDeleteIt was breathtaking
DeleteThank you for sharing the video.These pieces of work are truly breathtaking, and the fading of the images with the fading of her mother’s memory is so heartfelt. Catriona.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great description, Catriona.
DeleteJust amazing! I watched my mother fade away due to dementia and now, I'm watching the same thing happening to one of my cousins. It is heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteBless, I am so sorry... It is hard to watch a loved one "fading away". Wasn't it Ronald Reagan who called it "a long goodbye"
DeleteThat moved me to tears. How amazing, the detail of her stitches is wonderful, both from a distance and close up. You must have found the exhibition very poignant.
ReplyDeleteSuperb detail. But heart rending. I spoke with one of the Cathedral staff who was welcoming visitors. He said he had to stand just outside the entry - if he stayed inside too long he was moved to tears
DeleteAbsolutely wonderful
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
👍❤️
DeleteHow heartbreaking. There was a quilt exhibit by Ami Simms some years ago with this theme in fabrics. It, too, was quite moving.
ReplyDeleteI, too, lost my mother to dementia. Alzheimers is called "The Long Good-bye".
Hugs!
So sorry to read about your Mum. I think these beautiful images will resonate with many people
DeleteSo moving! The tears are still with me. The portraits in colour seem almost alive. I've never seen anything like this before. The dear lady is almost reaching out to us to know her.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it a wonderful tribute to a much loved Mum?
DeleteThese are wonderful!. The detail is amazing, and also the colors and how they work together to create the features. Jennifer Dutton is an amazing artist.
ReplyDeleteShe is so talented
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing, and the history of how they were made is touching.
ReplyDeleteIt is a lovely story
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