Michelle Abbott
My practice pushes embroidery threads beyond their traditional sewing form to become a drawing and sculptural medium in their own right. For many years after graduating (1996) I was a painter - non-objective, large scale canvasses using oil and resin. In 2009 I started incorporating threads into my work - binding drawings together around concepts of connections. Threads quickly became my main medium, and in 2011 I was amazed to discover that my family lineage descends from generations of tailors from the East End of London – something I knew nothing about when first working with threads. In 2022 I was awarded the maximum ACE DYCP award to undertake a 3 month research project into the social/economic working lives of Victorian tailors in London’s East End, which has since propelled my work into a more 3D realm.
I work on several series’ concurrently, investigating communication, relationships, repetitive labour, social/political developments, domesticity and the perception of art vs craft. Threads as used as a drawing medium on paper on canvas, wrapped around vintage tapestry frames and sculptural forms, and strung between spaces and walls.
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