CONNECTING THREADS - By Stephanie Neville

I grew up surrounded by textiles and traditional crafts, though I only started exploring fiber / textile arts in 2012 – using thread to express myself artistically. In the collection here not here (2012 – ongoing) my focus is on absence in a relationship and the resulting myriads of emotions, and how I can use threads to conceptualize my message. Residing in the UAE with its transitory lifestyle, I question the effect of this migration on relationships. My husband travels extensively and I find myself fluctuating from a singleton to a wife with him being here and then not here. There is a re-adjustment that takes place with every return: a change in routine and lifestyle attitudes.

She is her art, and her art is her” (Doyle 2002:112).

Seminal authors researched are Rachel Ward, Rozsika Parker and Sara Method. Ward examined the effects of short-term work-related separation in relationships. Physical absence changes the “interpersonal boundaries” between partners (Ward 1996:11). The “exiting and re-entry” may result in an increase of illnesses, loneliness, distrust, frustration and anger in the partner left behind (Ward 1996:21-26). Ward also mentioned the positive effects: increased autonomy, enjoyment of private space, self-confidence, learning skills and fewer trivial arguments (1996:29). In Parker’s The subversive stitch: embroidery and the making of the feminine (1984), she examines how sixteenth century embroidery was associated with chastity, solitude, submission and femininity. It was seen as an acceptable pastime for women, as Method (2008:15) expands: “because it kept the hands and minds active, not allowing for impropriety that could come from idleness”.

This traditional technique relates to my concept as the premise remains relevant living with an absent partner in the contemporary era. Through my personal experiences, I examined transient relationships with which others in my community and beyond may identify. I drew inspiration from artists Ghada Amer, Tracey Emin and Chiharu Shiota. Emin’s art is described as “confessional, that it is personal and tautological…She is her art, and her art is her” (Doyle 2002:112). 

Inspired by her urgency and honesty, my work is a visual expression of emotions and personal thoughts. Ghada Amer creates explicit embroideries from a feminist viewpoint commenting on cultural identity, abstraction and religious fundamentalism and Method argues that Amer challenges the view that embroidery and crafts are connected to the female submission. I look at Shiota’s installations with frames and suspended threads for inspiration.

I grew up surrounded by textiles and traditional crafts, though I only started exploring fiber / textile arts in 2012 – using thread to express myself artistically.  - Stephanie Neville

ABOUT: Neville employs traditional handmade techniques such as embroidery, sewing, knitting and sculpting to express a feminine approach to conceptual art. Her work deals primarily with identity, embodying themes of feminism, diaspora, memory, absence as well as sustainability in terms of the environment and interpersonal relationships influenced by the transient lifestyle of the UAE. She has won various awards and has exhibited internationally, with works in personal and public collections. 

BIBLOGRAPHY: 

Doyle, J. 2002. The effect of intimacy, in The Art of Tracey Emin, edited by Merck, M. Townsend, C. London: Thames Hudson LTD: 102-118.

Merck, M. 2002. Bedtime, in The art of Tracey Emin, edited by Merck, M. Townsend, C. London:Thames Hudson LTD: 119 – 133.

Merck, M. Townsend, C. 2002. The art of Tracey Emin. London: Thames Hudson LTD.

Method, S. 2008. Hybridity, fragmentation, and translation in the embroidered sculptural works of Ghada Amer. Master of Arts thesis, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA.

Ward, R. 1996. The Effects of Short-Term Repeated Work-Related Separations on Pilots, Cabin Crew, and Their Partners. PhD Thesis, Massey University, New Zealand.

- STEPHANIE NEVILLE