Sensory Sculptures and Installations
Nesting: Regulation Station
A heavy and strong nest smelling of friendly sheep is filled with a mini blanket and very small woolly book to provide a safe space that regulates and recharges the tiny woolly brain.
Crocheted with nearly one kilo of pure, undyed Scottish wool sourced from small producers around Scotland. The nest was made with @brawliemuirfarm yarn. The miniature blanket, tiny wool and book were made with yarns from @ionawool, @uistwool, @colonsaywoolgrowers, @heatherleablackcheviot, @brawliemuirfarmand @caithnessyarn
The Forgotten Box and The Forgotten Book
Woolly Mobius Strip
Hyperbolic Formation
Portable Coral Reef
Impossibly cuddly and tactile 🤲🏼
The little corals were made with @heatherleablackcheviot yarn and the sand base was made with @uistwool.
The base was stuffed and lined with beautifully soft cashmere offcuts from @brightonlace
Filomena the Woolly Brain
Meet Filomena the Woolly Brain! In French, “fil” means “thread” or “wire” and the expression “donner du fil à retordre” means something is particularly challenging… so Filomena is aptly named: making her was a bit of a headache at times, but mostly it was a pleasure and I genuinely feel that I rewired my own brain with each stitch/cell I added.
Filomena is a hyperbolic structure crocheted with just over a kilogram of wool from the Isle of Harris. That’s over 2 kilometres of yar (2300m), which is mindblowing. Although it is a simple structure, it was not an easy one to make… supremely complex and delightfully challenging, especially on my poor hands!
Living at the intersection of neurological illness, autism and c-PTSD I am fascinated by neuroplasticity, brain rewiring and neural pathways. I am routinely frustrated by the limitations my brain conditions impose on me, but equally marvel at what my brain can do. On the whole we have a great relationship in rather trying circumstances.
Making a huge woolly brain is a wink to the myriad symptoms I have to manage on a daily basis, and it is also a cosy presence that is lovely to rest with. Having a tactile, visual representation of such a mighty and mysterious organ means a lot and invites me to take even greater care. I find it’s also a great conversation starter and a great tool for advocacy.
I also made a miniature version of Filomena which is fun to use in installations:
Sensory Book: Undyed Shades of Scotland
A book without words... improvised to tell the story of Scottish wool and landscapes.
Each page has its own atmosphere inspired by the place that grew the wool used for it. It's a very friendly and cuddly book!
I called the book Undyed Shades of Scotland in order to show the beautiful variety of shades that can be obtained without dyes. It's always satisfying to discover the character of a yarn and to marvel at the way its colours and texture subtly change depending on the light and the way it is worked.
A fun fact is that the same sheep will give slightly or massively different colours each year, because it all depends on their age, genes, diet, health, happiness, and weather conditions.
Made with undyed wool from Brawliemuir Farm, Colonsay Wool Growers, Barkland Croft, Caithness Yarns and Heatherlea Black Cheviot.
I have also made a mini Woolly Book and a Tiny Woolly Book which are both approximate replicas of the larger one, and that I enjoy featuring in installations:
Crip Crib
Chronically ill, disabled and neurodivergent people often experience an alternative passing of time, which we call “crip time.” It is a time that allows for accommodation of care so that we can continue to function... Sometimes it is a time of mourning what we lost or will never have. Sometimes it is a time of waiting in-between states where we are too drained and too unwell to function, and need to regulate, take care and retreat, instead of participating in life and in the world as we would wish. Meanwhile, the rest of the world carries on, often oblivious to our different pace and needs, which can make us feel invisible, unheard, and half alive. The presence of the skeleton is meant to inject humour into this frustrating situation, but also to convey the feeling of life passing us by in what can feel like crushing isolation while feeling very old even in our young years, endlessly waiting to be able to function in a world that is not interested in adjusting to us.
In this situation, it helps to build an environment that is healing and soothing in order to allow for sensory rest and bodily repair: so I present to you my very own Crip Crib.
Fractal Weaving
Interactive sculpture in three parts which can be displayed as a whole or separately in an organic and ever-changing way. Most people think of corals, mosses or lichens when they see it. It also makes me think of lungs, trees and seaweed. I've got an endless fascination for fractals found in nature, so it was fun to weave such a large one, and the perfect focus for my monotropic brain.
The material used was remnants of plastic threads that would otherwise have been thrown away. Around 450 were needed to make the whole piece.
Dawn to Dusk on Uist
“Dawn to Dusk on Uist” is a crochet improvisation made with @uistwool dreamy laceweight yarn, which was fluttering as lightly as gossamer thread when I took these photos in the morning breeze
When flat, it is a mini landscape offering a journey to the Isle of North Uist where the wool used for the project was grown: white beaches, intricate ripples in the sand, energising waves, textured rock, and that unforgettable island light.
Mounted on a copper circle it becomes a mini installation reminiscent of a lampshade, where the head of the person going in acts as a lightbulb that illuminates the work through their unique perception.