Muslin kirtle by Fiona McLachlan Powell

Mixed media muslin cloth with straw, linen and silk thread

Artist statement: Since graduating from Edinburgh College of Art I have been a studio holder at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop as a developing artist working with textiles around memories, forms and how these emerge in the contemporary world.

Experiencing a mental health disability in a poor rural environment pervades my vision and work. Being unable to make a mark in a tied cottage and the silence of working people have influenced my process and materials. Physical and mental sides amalgamate, creating sculptures which embody imagined and real systems. From these I make installations, drawings, and photographs linking the past to the now, invoking the spirit of place and the beauty of human body systems.

My Grandad was a shepherd at The Knock farm, he suffered from a condition called farmers lung and had to retire early as a result of the illness. In empathy with his story created a series of clothing related to his way of speaking kirtle a sheltering cloak. By coiling, binding, twisting stitching I try to convey often fragile materials can be made into objects that have stability and strength and shelter. Selected for "Saltaire Arts Trail Open Houses 25-27 May 2019

My Grandad was a shepherd at The Knock farm, he suffered from a condition called farmers lung and had to retire early as a result of the illness. In empathy with his story created a series of clothing related to his way of speaking kirtle a sheltering cloak. By coiling, binding, twisting stitching I try to convey often fragile materials can be made into objects that have stability and strength and shelter. Selected for "Saltaire Arts Trail Open Houses 25-27 May 2019.

My Grandad was a shepherd at The Knock farm, he suffered from a condition called farmers lung and had to retire early as a result of the illness. In empathy with his story created a series of clothing related to his way of speaking kirtle a sheltering cloak. By coiling, binding, twisting stitching I try to convey often fragile materials can be made into objects that have stability and strength and shelter. Selected for "Saltaire Arts Trail Open Houses 25-27 May 2019.

Muslin kirtle by Fiona McLachlan Powell

Mixed media muslin cloth with straw, linen and silk thread

Artist statement: Since graduating from Edinburgh College of Art I have been a studio holder at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop as a developing artist working with textiles around memories, forms and how these emerge in the contemporary world.

Experiencing a mental health disability in a poor rural environment pervades my vision and work. Being unable to make a mark in a tied cottage and the silence of working people have influenced my process and materials. Physical and mental sides amalgamate, creating sculptures which embody imagined and real systems. From these I make installations, drawings, and photographs linking the past to the now, invoking the spirit of place and the beauty of human body systems.

My Grandad was a shepherd at The Knock farm, he suffered from a condition called farmers lung and had to retire early as a result of the illness. In empathy with his story created a series of clothing related to his way of speaking kirtle a sheltering cloak. By coiling, binding, twisting stitching I try to convey often fragile materials can be made into objects that have stability and strength and shelter. Selected for "Saltaire Arts Trail Open Houses 25-27 May 2019

My Grandad was a shepherd at The Knock farm, he suffered from a condition called farmers lung and had to retire early as a result of the illness. In empathy with his story created a series of clothing related to his way of speaking kirtle a sheltering cloak. By coiling, binding, twisting stitching I try to convey often fragile materials can be made into objects that have stability and strength and shelter. Selected for "Saltaire Arts Trail Open Houses 25-27 May 2019.

My Grandad was a shepherd at The Knock farm, he suffered from a condition called farmers lung and had to retire early as a result of the illness. In empathy with his story created a series of clothing related to his way of speaking kirtle a sheltering cloak. By coiling, binding, twisting stitching I try to convey often fragile materials can be made into objects that have stability and strength and shelter. Selected for "Saltaire Arts Trail Open Houses 25-27 May 2019.