Denise Jones The Sewing Machine Project

I thought you might like to see the work I’ve just finished for The Sewing Machine Project organised by Studio 21.

Some of it will be at SIT in Cheltenham at the end of October and then to South Hill Park in Bracknell, October to early November.

I called the two large cloths, Old Rules: Industrial I and II,  because they reflect my recent research about The Singer Factory at Clydebank which closed in the 1980’s. They allude to ‘dirty’ and ‘clean’ production processes.

I used machine parts in the smaller works from an old Singer sewing machine. I chose 3 conceptual words:

binary   mass-production  repetition

What was exciting about making work for this project was that one small work developed into the next and so on. I particularly enjoyed assembling and connecting objects with textile, things with things. A small nut from inside the machine threaded through most of the work.

I found that I was also reflecting upon out current pre-occupation with the body being ‘hard working’, industrious and ever producing.