Exile Textile 2: The New Normal
The second of three hand stitched ‘Exile Textiles’ made from things found around my parents’ house, where I unexpectedly found myself living for eighteen months during the pandemic. Mam had been diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer, and it turned out to be the final year of her life. Recording my time there, the world outside and in, as I nursed her. This piece was completed after my mother's death, and takes its title from this fact.
Alison Aye
London, England
Exile Textile 2: The New Normal, Phil ShellyThe second of my 'Exile Textiles', hand stitched collage made from discarded materials, recording Covid.
You have no authority here Jackie Weaver, Hand of God, hand stitch detail., Phil ShellyAs said to Jackie Weaver at a parish council meeting, the video of which went viral. Made from Dad's shirt and handkerchief. Hand of God is in relation to Covid, but also a nod to Diego Maradona, who died in 2020. Made from my daughter's outgrown dress.
I won this election by a lot, hand stitch detail., Phil ShellyAs tweeted by Donald Trump when he lost the presidential election, 2021. Made from two shirts, one mine, one my husband's.
Never-ending shade, the New Normal, hand stitch detail., Phil ShellyNever-ending shade is part of a poem, written and read by Amanda Gorman at the Biden/Harris inauguration, 2021. Made from the off-cuts of a dress I 'took-up' for my daughter. The New Normal was a term being used during the lockdowns, but my 'new normal' is life without Mam. Made from my husband's shirt, my dad's shirt and a dress my mam bought for my daughter.
A barefaced liar promoted to our highest office, hand stitch detail., Phil ShellyAs said by Ted Hastings in the much anticipated sixth series of Jed Mercurio's Line of Duty, 2021. Made from various fabric scraps and Mam's duster.