Embroidered & Coffee Quilts & Handkerchiefs
2015
Embrodered handkerchiefs:
Pound of Flesh (Venice), Tributary (Stratford), Bear Pit (London) To Die Upon A Kiss, handkerchiefs, coffee, embrodary thread.
To Die Upon A Kiss (Handkerchief Quilt) was made from handkerchiefs that were inherited from a relative and was inspired by Othello where a handkerchief plays a central part in the story plot. It was made in resonse to that seasons plays, Othello and the Merchant of Venice. As well as the Othello context the pieces subvert and appropriate everyday household objects. As current world-wide conflicts and global warming create mass upheaval and migration, vast numbers of people are undertaking perilous journey’s to seek refuge. Using embroidery and delicate fabrics Stockwell highlight’s both femininity and the heirloom, private and family intimacy, things often taken for granted until lost.
These works were made while Stockwell was on a yearlong residency with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon and were first shown there in the exhibition, SEA-MARKINGS (2015), alongside the installation Sail Painting and a version of Sail Away. These works were also shown in the Solo exhibition Sweet Plums at Patrick Heide Contemporary Art, London (2015).
