Sue Hiley Harris: Weaving Unearthed

A stunning publication accompanies this RCC exhibition.

44 pages, softback
Full colour, 210x210mm
ISBN 978-1-911664-28-4

Language: English
Publication date: January 2024
To order call: 01824 704774 or email: ruthincraftcentre@denbighshireleisure.co.uk

£10.00

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Maintaining a fascination with a technique, by expanding it across a palette of diverse materials, has become Sue Hiley Harris’ life journey of continuous investigation and learning. Playful curiosity is a wonderful thing: of this Sue has more than her fair share.

Over recent years two particular aspects of her oeuvre have developed a language all of their own and, while they do have references to earlier work, they are distinct new chapters of her creative journey. Firstly, Sue has developed some skill as a silversmith producing a series of woven silver brooches. Here silver wire is woven and made wearable by careful hammering to enhance the warp and weft. Play is made of the ‘thread’ by subtle oxidation and occasional touches of gold. Very wearable, as jewellery should be, they relate stories of weave patterns with tangible style.

Secondly, a more abstract series of pieces where rhythmic twists of thread emerge from the fibre ground. With a grid-like reference to weave structure, these wayward threads define their space. Tipped with gold, indigo and occasional lapis lazuli, they are mainly presented as wall-art. However, some become sculptural box forms; fragile with almost magical symbolism as though they are containers for our reveries.  Curiosity, looking, seeing and recording underpins Sue Hiley Harris’ work in Weaving Unearthed. Here she invites us to look deeper, see what roots underpin us and develop our own curiosity by enjoying the subtle nuances of her pieces.

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