ALICE KETTLE (B. 1961)
The resurgence of embroidery and tapestry, craft as art - the story of Alice Kettle and why she is an important artist to watch.
About Alice Kettle:
Alice is a forerunner of the current resurgence in embroidery and tapestry, a trending art form being used by leading Contemporary artists from Grayson Perry with Victoria Miro to Gerhard Richter with Gagosian.
What CAA (Contemporary Applied Arts) say about Alice Kettle;
Alice Kettle is a contemporary textile/fibre artist based in the UK. She has established a unique area of practice by her use of a craft medium, consistently and on an unparalleled scale. Her stitched works, many of which are the size of huge figurative tapestries, exploit the textures and effects made possible through the harnessing of a mechanical process to intuitive and creative ends.
Alice Kettle's work is represented in various public collections such as the Crafts Council London, the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, the Museo Internationale delle Arti Applicate Oggi, Turin, Italy. She has consistently worked in architectural spaces. Commissions include the National Library of Australia, the Scottish High Court in Edinburgh, Gloucester and Winchester Cathedrals and the School of Music & Drama at Manchester University. She has recently completed a vast piece measuring 3m x 16.5m for the Winchester Discovery Centre.
Alice Kettle interview with the V&A
Link to New York Times article about this trending medium;
ALICE KETTLE
Interview for The Story in Art with Candida Stevens Fine Art, May 2016
What’s your story?
I was born and grew up in Winchester where I have returned to live and work. I studied Fine Art painting at the University of Reading, at a time which emphasised expressionism, colour and the physicality of painting. Our tutors were Terry Frost, Mali Morris and Albert Irvin, influential artist whose legacy is present in my work in its scale and energy of line . I went onto to study Textile Art at Goldsmiths College, a place pre-eminent in defining textiles as artistic practice through its Head of School Audrey Walker and her predecessor Constance Howard. In placing textiles at the centre, I discovered my creative voice, drawing on the histories and associations with the feminine, the domestic and the marginalised.
Where is the story in your art?
Textiles as a narrative form define the subject and object of my work. Through its metaphorical and physical presence I draw upon mythologies, folk and
contemporary stories, using stitch as a descriptive medium to bring together the imaginary, the real and my own experience. These figural works are vast tableau or composite assemblages where stitch is used to draw and bind pieces together.
How do you create the story?
Stitch has an improvisatory quality and its repeated gestures are like acts of reparation. The thread is different in thickness and type. It is stitched as though drawing in repetitive rhythmic patterns, which build up over the surface. As the thread is often too thick to fit through the needle, the work is done from the back, so that as though blind I cannot see what is happening on the front until it is turned over. This adds to the unpredictable quality of the work.
What is the story of the pieces you are showing here?
I am showing the work Pause II, an allegory for A Dance to the Music in Time, inspired by Nicholas Poussin’s painting in the Wallace collection. My work uses the figures of the original work reimagined as my family of dancing figures, who pause from their dance, which is the cycle of the seasons. Two smaller pieces; Blue Tree and Two Blue Trees are more playful narrative works with symbols and figures placed in a landscape. They are imaginary reinterpretations of Aesops fables which have become almost nonsensical.
Who has shared your story?
I have works in the many international collections including The Crafts Council, London, The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester and the Museo Internationale delle Arti Applicate Oggi, Turin, Italy. Commissions include those at the National Library of Australia, the Scottish High Court, Edinburgh, Gloucester Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, the School of Music and Drama at Manchester University and Winchester Discovery Centre, Lloyds Register.
Where might the next story take you?
I am working on a solo exhibition for a gallery in Madeira, which includes work of the embroiderers of the island. I am Professor of Textile Art at Manchester School of Art, where I write and teach embroidery and crafts.
Education:
2014- Manchester School of Art, MMU phd student
1985–86 Goldsmiths’ College Postgraduate Diploma in Textile Art with special commendation
1979–84 University of Reading BA Hons Fine Art
Public Collections:
Liverpool International Slavery Museum
Museum of Decorative Art and Design, Riga, Latvia
Ararat Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia
Belger Collection, Kansas City USA
Hove Museum & Art Gallery
Portsmouth City Art Gallery
The Otter Art Gallery, University College Chichester
The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
Crafts Council of Great Britain
The Embroiderers’ Guild
St Mary's College, Baltimore, USA
The Prudential Collection
The Broadgate Club, London.
Hampshire Museums Service
Calderdale MBC: Museums and Arts
The Embroiderers' Guild, NSW, Australia
Museo Internationale delle Arti Applicate Oggi, Turin, Italy
Manchester City Art Gallery, (ceramic collaboration with Alex McErlain)
Special Collections Gallery, Manchester Metropolitan University (ceramic
collaboration with Alex McErlain)
Platt Hall Gallery of Costume. Manchester
York Castle Museum Gallery (ceramic collaboration with Alex McErlain)
Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead
Key Achievements:
Fellow of the Royal Society of Designer Craftsmen
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
HonoraryFellow of the University of Winchester
Research Fellow Manchester Metropolitan University
Honorary member 62 group
1985-86 Goldsmiths’ College Postgraduate, Textile Art
1979-84 University of Reading, BA Hons Fine Art
Public Collections:
Liverpool International Slavery Museum
Museum of Decorative Art and Design, Riga, Latvia
Ararat Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia
Belger Collection, Kansas City USA
Hove Museum & Art Gallery
Portsmouth City Art Gallery
The Otter Art Gallery, University College Chichester
The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester
Crafts Council of Great Britain
The Embroiderers’ Guild
St Mary's College, Baltimore, USA
The Prudential Collection
The Broadgate Club, London.
Hampshire Museums Service
Calderdale MBC: Museums and Arts
The Embroiderers' Guild, NSW, Australia
Museo Internationale delle Arti Applicate Oggi, Turin, Italy
Manchester City Art Gallery, (ceramic collaboration with Alex McErlain)
Special Collections Gallery, Manchester Metropolitan University (ceramic
collaboration with Alex McErlain)
Platt Hall Gallery of Costume. Manchester
York Castle Museum Gallery (ceramic collaboration with Alex McErlain)
Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead
