One to Twenty - The Glove Making Factory, Yeovil

One to Twenty: An inflatable sculpture inspired by Yeovil’s glove making history commissioned by Somerset Art Works with support from South Somerset District Council, Yeovil Town Council and St John’s Church. One to Twenty is a large piece of inflatable sculpture measuring 7 x 13 metres, created with Steve Swindells, which traces the exterior shape of glove patterns used to create the ‘Firemaster’ gloves at Southcombe Gloves at Stoke-sub-Hamdon at a precise ratio of 1:20. We were fascinated by the process of glove-making specifically by Southcombe Brothers. This is one of the few surviving glove-making family businesses in the area producing gloves using a combination of traditional skills and tools and machines, as well as new technologies. Their specifically designed lime green ‘Firemaster’ gloves are much loved by firemen, and account for more than 80% of the UK market. The leather becomes flexible when wet and hardens as it dries, and then becomes flexible again after being worn in action, and the sculpture is built to reflect these flexible properties. One to Twenty was presented at The Foundary House, The Glove Making Factory, Yeovil on 8th June 2012, with supporting interventions into the Yeovil Glove Archive. The work was subsequently presented outside St Johns Church. This central town location encouraged a wide range of visitors and spectators to experience the work, from young families, teenagers to the local shopping fraternity. A commissioned piece of writing was created in response to One to Twenty by Sally O’Reilly.