Dark Felt
I began making art felt sculpture in 2016 when I embarked on the creation of a headpiece for 'PythiaDelphine21' a new Bodycoder performance commission. Costume creation has always been part of my performance practice - for me it is a necessary and instinctual way of fully inhabiting a sensory character - choosing materials for their personal and cultural resonances. For PythiaDelphine21 I was looking for a material that connected nature to the female entity that was the Delphic oracle. I found this connection in wool and the fact that at Delphi oracles were recruited from among the local population of female goat and sheep herders. In order to 'inhabit' this idea I used wool and other found elements that were personal to my own locality: wool from North of England breeds, feathers and other resonant materials such a torn cotton bandages.