Wednesday 14 April 2010

Shellie Holden

British artist and maker Shellie Holden produces constructed, stitched, collaged and cut paper textiles using reclaimed materials, such as books, pieces of text and old maps, fabrics, threads and sewing paraphernalia.

Bookworm - hand cut and carved.
The Bookworm riddles its way out of the book, eating away at the paper to disrupt the reading of the text; metamorphosis’s into a bobbin or spool (of thread), stealing matter and meaning from the book.

Shellie's Text Work Series 2 is especially interesting, and very beautiful.

Iitch on a phantom limb
Framed paper textile

Wallpaper, mounted paper textile

In her own words:

Embroidery is traditionally perceived as ‘Woman’s work’ and this work takes reference from formal qualities of historical examples of work. In using a contemporary novel as a back drop for the embroidery, the cut work decoration is used to manipulate this meaning when combined with the written word - in Sadie Smiths White Teeth some of the abrupt, crass language in the book emerges through the printed textual layers of paper, jarring the reading, perhaps forcing to viewer to reconsider the role of embroidery in the 21st Century.

Text Book

Shellie Holden - StudioSpool

19 comments:

  1. nice find deb - just had a look at her website, beautiful work.

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  2. thanks!
    i didn´t know about her-
    some interesting and beautiful works.

    i´ve made paper works myself,
    years and years ago,
    worked with old books and stuff :)

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  3. Simply stunning. I have to check her work out.
    Beautiful.

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  4. Oh WOW! These are just so lovely. Thank you so much for sharing. They are truly beautiful works of art!

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  5. Deb these are just utterly beautiful. thanks

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  6. WOW ... She is very talented and so inventive ... Inspiring!

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  7. oh how beautiful! So fine...I LOVE them all x

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  8. voila un travail délicat qui me plait follement

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  9. It is beautiful! thanks for this link

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  10. C'est très beau, poétique... Aviez-vous vu ou entendu parler de l'exposition "46 sous la couverture" (46 livres faits-main en 72 heures par 46 artistes)à la librairie "Le mont en l'air" à Paris en décembre 2009 ? Beatrice Alemagna, Ingrid Monchy y exposaient... Dans le travail de Shellie Holden j'adore la bobine de papier sortie du livre. Encore une belle découverte !

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  11. Just love this kind of thing! Great find :)

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  12. Oooo... just noticed my French Pierre in your side bar... thank you :))

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  13. Truly superbe Deb. I tried to leave a comment on that BEAUTIFUL white paper dress last week and it didn't go through for some reason. You are endlessly inspiring in your choices as usual.

    Just to let you know - I thought of you as I whizzed by Montpellier etc on my way to pick Kim up in Avignon. Long live French train strikes ;-)
    Will be back on board myself next week...

    Am about to set off in search of your shop before I hit lala land...

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  14. These are amazing! What a wonderful find...
    U.

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  15. This paper work is gorgeous, working with paper must be so delicate.

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  16. woweeeeee, these are amazing. I love Shellie's work. Sooo sublime. :) Just checking out her site now. thanks for sharing this Deb. Hope you're having a fabulous weekend. xo K

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