A Question Of Identity
by Evening Gazette
THE lasting impression from a new exhibition by the North- east’s Fusion group of women artists is Julia Triston’s knickers - all 90 odd metres worth.
This vast array of ladies’ previously unmentionables are on show in an exhibition called A QUESTION OF IDENTITY.
The big question has to be ... what is the identity of the owner or owners? The obvious answer is they are Julia’s but you’d be wrong.
None are hers. Instead, she managed to beg the pants and bras off a host of friends for what is very much the most eye-catching contribution.
“She loves bright colours,” says Maggie Smith, the group’s founder and exhibition organiser. She certainly does. The rainbow and lots more is hanging here.
The knickers, in a multitude of styles and sizes, are hung like bunting. Intriguingly, the labels which would detail the makes and sizes appear to have been removed. The bras have been turned into three unusual bra-ra dresses and adorn mannequins.
Maggie turns one around. “Look, a bra bustle at the back,” she says.
They are not just for show either. “All the dresses are wearable,” she declares.
Most of the items in the exhibition in the Hartlepool Art Gallery in Church Square are on sale, generally between £100 and £200.
Julia’s underwear creations are among the few that are not.
The Fusion group was formed in 2000 and now consists of 16 women of all ages from around the North-east, though there is no reason why men cannot join. The work of 15 is on show, says Maggie who lectures in art and design at Durham University.
“We each have a passion for creating art using textiles and stitching,” she explains. Around half the members are her former students.
“For many of us, stitching is an inherited passion passed down to us through our mothers and grandmothers.”
Maggie’s own grandmother, for instance, was a tailor for the Duchess of Devonshire. “My heritage is inherited from her and, if you speak to most of the people exhibiting, it was a skill that was passed down.”
Jane Rogers, who teaches at Cleveland College Of Art And Design in Hartlepool, inherited her interest from both of her grandmothers.
“Now you don’t repair anything, you just throw it away,” says Maggie. “But, because of the economic climate, that might change.”
Most of the exhibits feature fabric. “It’s a wonderful material to work with,” insists Maggie. “It has a magical feel and there is such a wide variety available these days.
“Using fabric in art you can achieve remarkable depths of colour and texture and it provides tremendous flexibility.”
The idea of the exhibition was the women would examine their own identity and investigate the identity of things that are significant to them.
“We hope our exhibition will make people think a bit more about who they are,” says Maggie. “Everyone is different. No one is exactly the same, not even twins..”
The oldest member of the group is in her seventies while the youngest, Jayne Parker Johnson is in her twenties.
If you would like to be a member of Fusion, call Maggie on 01740 652738.
A Question Of Indentity:
Hartlepool Art Gallery Open Tues-Sat 10am-5.30pm, Sundays 2-5pm. Admission free.
