**Page ii: A Personal View** Piss Flowers by Helen Chadwick, 1991-2. Photo by Tate/ Seraphina Neville from the installation at Tate Modern, 2024. Cut from an article (Say it with Piss Flowers) in which Holly Connolly, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Anya Gallaccio, Sylvia Legris and Nicolas Deshayes share words of appreciation. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Civilisation Collages - Credits

August 4, 2025

If you are reading this you are probably visiting the Barbican Library - so THANK YOU xx

In ‘Civilisation’, I’m questioning the bias of my early art education, which came mainly from Lord-Sir-Baron-Kenneth-Clark, born into a wealthy ‘textiles family’, and his popular television BBC programme/book, ‘Civilisation’. I’ve made stitched collages from said book (published by BBC/John Murray, this edition 1971), combined with discarded gallery (mainly Tate) magazines. Lord-Sir-Baron-Kenneth omitted female artists from his account, which is what started me off on these collages, but as the project progressed I have annoyingly fallen in love with the snobby bastard. I don’t agree with what he is saying a lot of the time, but his style of writing is superb and an utter joy to read.

Page i: the men who gave new energy

Piss Flowers by Helen Chadwick, 1991-2. Photo by Tate/ Seraphina Neville from the installation at Tate Modern, 2024. Cut from an article (Say it with Piss Flowers) in which Holly Connolly, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Anya Gallaccio, Sylvia Legris and Nicolas Deshayes share words of appreciation. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Page ii: A Personal View

Page 1: less agreeable

‘Prow of Viking ship. British Museum, London’.

Clint Eastwood in ‘For A Few Dollars More’. Sergio Leone, 1965. Cinematography by Massimo Dallamano. Great Movies, Mandarin Publishers (for Marks and Spencer), 1985. Edited by Nick Roddick.

Page 6: Skellig

‘Seventh-century monastery, Skellig Michael, off the Dingle Peninsula, Western Ireland’.

Page 9: copying of books

‘Neptune dish from Mildenhall treasure. British Museum, London’.

Sweet chilli chicken breasts, Lidl Weekly, 27.2.25.

Page 13: purely pagan people

‘Gokstad ship (mid ninth century). Ship Museum, Oslo’.

Maxine Laceby, Absolute Collagen advert, Grazia, Issue 834, 25.7.22.

Page 25: resist dyeing

‘Anglo-Saxon crucifixion from the Ramsey Psalter (c.980). British Museum, London’.

Kimono, crepe silk, resist dyeing and embroidery, Kyoto, 1710 - 40. Joshibi University of Art and Design Museum. From an interview/article with Anna Jackson (Keeper of the Asian department specialising in Japanese dress and cultural exchange between Japan and Europe) curator of ‘Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk’, Feb - June 2020, V&A Museum, London. V&A Magazine, Winter 2019. 50p from a charity shop.

Page 26: Superstar

‘Cross of Gero (c.970). Cologne Cathedral’.

Celine advert. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Page 27: Charlemadge

‘Reliquary in the form of the head of the Emperor Charlemagne (c. 1350). Aachen Cathedral Treasury’.

Queen Elizabeth II. Photo by Mike Tindall?/ Getty?/ PA Images? Hello, Issue 1741, 13.6.22. Picture Editor: Becky Cox.

Page 32: orderly mountains of stone

‘Durham Cathedral’.

Farm at Watendlath by Dora Carrington, 1921. Photo: Tate. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64. From an advert for ‘Dora Carrington: Beyond Bloomsbury’, Pallant House Gallery, Nov ‘24 - Apr ‘25.

Page 34: sitting like an empress

‘Ecclesia, manuscript illustration. Bayerische Bibliothek, Munich’.

Yayoi Kusama. Photo by Yusuke Miyazaki/ Ota Fine Arts/ Victoria Miro/ David Swirner. From an advert for ‘Every Day I Pray For Love’, Sept - Nov ‘24, Victoria Miro Gallery, London.

Page 36: unashamedly extravagant

‘The abbey church of Cluny in 1879 (from a lithograph by Emile Sagot). Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris’.

Advert for Art Academy. Tate Etc, Autumn 2024, Issue 63.

Page 37: irrepressible, irresponsible energy

‘The Gloucester candlestick (early 12th century). Victoria and Albert Museum, London’.

Detail from More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid, by Mike Kelley, 1987. Photo: Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. ‘Mutant Mike’, article by Charlie Fox. Tate Etc, Autumn 2024, Issue 63.

Page 45: for alan sugar

‘Egyptian porphyry jar transformed into an eagle (c. 1140) for Abbot Suger. Louvre, Paris’.

Leigh Bowery by Fergus Greer. Session 1/ Look 2 1998. Front cover of Tate Members’ Guide: Jan-Feb-Mar 2025

Page 54: pillar people

‘Kings and Queens, Chartres Cathedral’.

I’m sorry, but I currently can’t find where I cut these circles from. I will keep looking, and update.

Page 65: Castle of Love

‘Siege of the Castle of Love (ivory, c1360), Victoria and Albert Museum, London’.

Detail from More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid, by Mike Kelley, 1987. Photo: Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. ‘Mutant Mike’, article by Charlie Fox. Tate Etc, Autumn 2024, Issue 63.

Page 67: how to treat women

‘Maries at the Sepulchre (ivory), Victoria and Albert Museum, London’.

Artwork by Mike Kelley, The David Geffen Company, 1992. Cut from ‘Dirty: A Love Letter’, an article by Susan Finlay about the influence of Mike Kelley. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Page 69: disobedient women

‘Virgin and Child (ivory, 14th century). Louvre, Paris’.

Artwork by Mike Kelley, The David Geffen Company, 1992. Cut from ‘Dirty: A Love Letter’, an article by Susan Finlay about the influence of Mike Kelley. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Page 72: Only artists and birds

‘Drawings of birds from sketchbook (c. 1400). Magdalene College, Cambridge’.

I’m sorry, but I currently can’t find where I cut these birds from. I will keep looking, and update.

Page 73: The Duke at dinner

‘De Limbourg, The Duke of Berry at dinner, from Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. Musée Condé, Chantilly’.

Leigh Bowery dressed as a Christmas pudding for one of a series of cards produced in 1987 (Get Started Cards, 23 Beak St, London). Photo by Johnny Rozza, styling by Clive Ross. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Page 75: marriage to poverty

‘Sassetta, St Francis’s Marriage to Poverty. Musée Condé, Chantilly’.

Painting by Yayoi Kusama. Photo by Yusuke Miyazaki/ Ota Fine Arts/ Victoria Miro/ David Swirner. From an advert for ‘Every Day I Pray For Love’, Sept - Nov ‘24, Victoria Miro Gallery, London.

Page 82: supreme dramatist of human life

‘Giotto, Kiss of Judas. Arena Chapel, Padua’.

The Prenatal Mutual Recognition of Betty and Barney Hill by Mike Kelley, 1995. Photo: Fredrik Nilsen/ Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. ‘Mutant Mike’, article by Charlie Fox. Tate Etc, Autumn 2024, Issue 63.

Page 88: external bin area

‘Courtyard, Ducal Palace, Urbino’.

Unnamed royal corgi. Report by Thomas Whitaker about Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. Photo: Alamy. Hello, Issue 1741, 13.6.22. Picture Editor: Becky Cox.

Page 92: love of opposites

‘St Augustine, Sandro Botticelli, 1480. Fresco. Ognissanti, Florence’.

Glove puppet of Judy, Fred Tickner c 1975. Given by the British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild. Cut from V&A Magazine, Winter 2020 (50p from a charity shop). Photo V&A.

Page 105: of nameless breed

‘Jan van Eyck, Arnolfini and his Wife. National Gallery, London’.

Artwork by Mike Kelley, The David Geffen Company, 1992. Cut from ‘Dirty: A Love Letter’, an article by Susan Finlay about the influence of Mike Kelley. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Page 109: fought his way through security

‘Justus of Ghent, Federigo di Montefeltro. Ducal Palace, Urbino’.

(Right head) Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #4 (Vampire Boss) 2004-5, by Mike Kelley. Cut from Tate Etc, Autumn 2024, Issue 63. (Left head) Marilyn Diptych by Andy Warhol, 1962. Tate Members’ Guide, Apr-May-Jun 2025.

Page 116: once been a beauty

‘Giorgione, Col Tempo (detail). Accademia, Venice’.

Queen Elizabeth II, 1951, by Yousuf Karsh. Hello, Issue 1741, 13.6.22. Picture Editor: Becky Cox.

Page 117: the scene has changed

Bobby Baker, Displaying the Sunday Dinner, 1998. Photo by Andrew Whittuck. Tate Etc, Spring 2024. Issue 61.

Page 122: alarming young man

‘Michelangelo, David, Accademia, Florence’.

Leigh Bowery by Peter Paul Hartnett. Taboo, Maximus, Leicester Sq., London, 1985-86. Article by Princess Julia. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Page 125: God-like perfection

‘Dying Slave (Captive), Michelangelo, c1510-13. Louvre, France’.

Leigh Bowery by Fergus Greer, 1988. Session 1, Look 2. Michael Hoppen Gallery. Tate Members’ Guide, Jan-Feb-March 2025.

Page 132: Raphael loved the girls

‘Raphael, Parnassus (detail). Vatican, Rome’.

Unnamed woman in Dior jewellery advert. Tate Etc, Autumn 2022, Issue 56.

Page 133: the great lost paintings of antiquity

‘Raphael, Galatea. Villa Farnesina, Rome’.

Leigh Bowery by Fergus Greer, 1994. Session VII, Look 34. Tate Members’ Guide, Apr-May-Jun 2025.

Page 138: the character of the northern man

‘Riemenschneider, Adam. Castle Museum, Würzburg’.

I’m sorry, but I currently can’t find where I cut these eyes and lips from. I will keep looking, and update.

Page 148: inordinately vain

‘Dürer, Walrus (water-colour). British Museum, London’.

I’m sorry, but I currently can’t find where I cut this eye from. I will keep looking, and update.

Page 151: something is missing

‘Leonardo, Star of Bethlehem (drawing). Royal Library, Windsor’.

Page 156: old fashioned history books

‘Dürer, Oswald Krell. Alte Pinakothek, Munich’.

Ramon Novarro (can’t find the film. Anyone?). Great Movies, Mandarin Publishers (for Marks and Spencer), 1985. Edited by Nick Roddick.

Page 158: intelligent nun

‘Cranach, Luther’s Father. Albertina, Vienna’.

Queen Elizabeth II, 1951, by Yousuf Karsh. Hello, Issue 1741, 13.6.22. Picture Editor: Becky Cox.

Page 160: bad for art

‘Urs Graf, Swiss Mercenary (drawing). Kunstmuseum, Basel’.

Artwork by Yayoi Kusama. Photo by Yusuke Miyazaki/ Ota Fine Arts/ Victoria Miro/ David Swirner. From an advert for ‘Every Day I Pray For Love’, Sept - Nov ‘24, Victoria Miro Gallery, London.

Page 165: great pessimists

‘Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire’.

Four-Square (Walk Through), 1966. Barbara Hepworth. Tate Members’ Guide, Apr-May-Jun 2025.

Page 168: the most grandiose piece of town planning

‘Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome’.

Do Ho Suh, Hub series at the Museum of Contemporary Art Astral, 2022. Tate Members’ Guide, Apr-May-Jun 2025. Walking The House, Tate Modern, May - Oct 2025.

Page 174: Painters were even worse

‘Daniele Crespi, St Carlo Borromeo. S. Maria della Passione, Milan’.

Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940. Tate Members’ Guide, Apr-May-Jun 2025.

Page 178: dazzled enlightenment

‘Bernini, Longinus. St Peter’s, Rome’.

Page 179: ecstasies should be vividly recorded

‘Rubens, Crucifixion of St Peter. St Peter’s, Cologne’.

Simon Foxton by Jason Evans (No title). From the series Strictly 1991. Tate Members’ Guide, Jan-Feb-March 2025.

Page 193: I am in Holland

‘Frans Hals, Regents of the Old Men’s Home (detail). Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem’.

I’m sorry, but I currently can’t find where I cut these eyes and lips from. I will keep looking, and update.

Page 198: they have some leisure

‘Pieter de Hooch, Interior. National Gallery, London’.

‘Fat Gill as Miss Fuckit at the seventh Alternative Miss World competition, 1986’. Photo (with Leigh Bowery) by Robyn Beeche. Article by Andrew Logan. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Page 200: superfluidity of wealth

‘Amsterdam, 17th Century houses’.

Princess Anne feeding penguins at Edinburgh Zoo. Photo: PA Images. Hello, Issue 1741, 13.6.22. Picture Editor: Becky Cox.

Page 201: uncanny realism of the sheep’s head

‘Paul Potter, The Bull (detail). Mauritshuis, The Hague’.

Orchard Bird by Ronald Moody, 1968. From the article ‘A Caribbean Emblem’ by Ego Ahaiwe Sowinski. Photo by Philip Connor/ The Ronald Moody Trust. Tate Etc, Summer 2024, Issue 62.

Page 207: I’ve never had a pedicure

‘Rembrandt, Bathsheba. Louvre, Paris’.

Advert for Art Academy. Tate Etc, Autumn 2024, Issue 63.

Page 208: study to be quiet

‘Vermeer, Girl Reading a Letter, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’.

Tate Members’ Guide, Jan-Feb-March 2025.

Page 219: waste of money

‘Wren, St Paul’s Cathedral, London’.

Do Ho Suh, Hub series at the Museum of Contemporary Art Astral, 2022. Tate Members’ Guide, Apr-May-Jun 2025. Walking The House, Tate Modern, May - Oct 2025.

Page 235: native good sense of a fox-hunting society

‘Tiepolo, America, from the Staircase Ceiling, Residenz, Würzburg’.

Leigh Bowery at Limelight, London 1987. Photo by Dave Swindells. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Page 237: it isn’t always easy to tell the difference between Haydn and Mozart

‘Die Wies. Pilgrimage church, Bavaria’.

Detail from More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid, by Mike Kelley, 1987. Photo: Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. ‘Mutant Mike’, article by Charlie Fox. Tate Etc, Autumn 2024, Issue 63.

Page 244: the smile of reason

‘Houdon, Voltaire, Musée Farbre, Montpelier’.

Leigh Bowery in ‘Blitz’ denim jacket by Levi Strauss & Co. Photo by Mark Baker, 1986. Article by Caryn Franklin. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Page 251: gifted hostesses

‘Perronneau, Madame de Sorquainville. Louvre, Paris’.

Leigh Bowery at Taboo, London 1986. Photo and article by Alex Gerry. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Page 252: Gilles

‘Watteau, Gilles, Louvre, Paris’.

Renate Bertlmann. Tender Pantomimes. Pacifier-Dance, 1976. Advert for Sotheby’s. Frieze Magazine, No. 187, May 2017. Taken from the bin at work.

Page 254: happiest among the working classes

‘Chardin, The Scullery Maid. Hunterian collection, University of Glasgow’.

‘Work in progress ahead of Hew Locke’s Tate Britain Commission, photographed (by Matt Greenwood/ Tate) at the artist’s studio in London, Nov 2021. From the article ‘Moment Is Everything’ by Elena Crippa. Tate Etc, Spring 2022, Issue 54.

Page 260: the gentle bourgeoisie

‘Chardin, La Toilette de Matin, National Museum, Stockholm’.

Leigh Bowery at the seventh Alternative Miss World competition, 1986. Photo (with ‘Fat Gill as Miss Fuckit’) by Robyn Beeche. Article by Andrew Logan. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Page 261: Naturally, it killed him

‘Huber, Voltaire (water-colour). British Museum, London’.

Mike Kelley, Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #25 (Devil: Master of Ceremonies) 2004-5. ‘Mutant Mike’, article by Charlie Fox. Tate Etc, Autumn 2024, Issue 63.

Page 263: Thomas Jefferson

‘Houdon, Thomas Jefferson. New York Historical Society’.

Mike Kelley Ahh… Youth! 1991/2008 (detail) Tate. Tate Members’ Guide Jan-Feb-Mar 2025.

Page 267: no more smiles

‘Houdon, George Washington. The Capitol, Richmond, Virginia’.

Illustration by Anna Vickery. Article by I. Kurator (really?). Art Review, March 2017. Taken from the bin at work.

Page 269: The Compleat Angler

‘Constable, The Haywain (detail). National Gallery, London’.

Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse by John Bailey. Gone Fishing, Blink Publishing, 2019.

Page 270: fifty-two different meanings

Page 272: it never occurred to him to admire the scenery

‘Wolf, Lauteraargletscher. Kunstsammlung, Basel’.

Detail from More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid, by Mike Kelley, 1987. Photo: Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. ‘Mutant Mike’, article by Charlie Fox. Tate Etc, Autumn 2024, Issue 63.

Page 273: Whatever his defects as a human being

‘Rousseau at Bienne (engraving)’.

Leigh Bowery by Fergus Greer, 1988. Session 1, Look 2. Michael Hoppen Gallery. Tate Members’ Guide, Jan-Feb-March 2025.

Page 276: Man (and Woman) Looking at Mountains

‘Casper David Friedrich, Man Looking at Mountains, with Rainbow. Museum Folkwang, Essen’.

Marianne Werefkin, The Red Tree, 1910. Article ‘Art Breaking Free’ by Natalia Sidlina. Tate Etc, Spring 2024, Issue 61.

Page 277: The evolutionary development of plants

‘The evolutionary development of plants (engraving after Goethe)’

Page 279: When Doves Cry

‘Dove Cottage, Grasmere’.

Tracey Emin, My Bed, 1998. Tate. Tate Members’ Guide, Apr-May-Jun 2025.

Page 282: it was rejected from the Academy

‘Constable, Willows by a Stream, V&A Museum, London’.

Julio Le Parc, Double Mirrors, 1966. Atelier Le Parc. Article ‘Are We Dreaming?’ by Lucy Ives. Tate Etc, Autumn 2024, Issue 63.

Page 284: But all the time Turner was perfecting

‘Turner, Waves Breaking on a Lee Shore. Tate Gallery, London’.

Blanc de Chine porcelain, c1680. Figure group of European huntsmen. Imported from China, decorated in the Netherlands. V&A Magazine, Summer 2019. 50p from a charity shop.

Page 288: another of Mr Turner’s little jokes

‘Turner; Rain, Steam, Speed. National Gallery, London’.

Barbara Hepworth’s hands, photographed by Norman Capener, c1949. Tate Etc, Autumn 2022, Issue 56.

Page 292: Rude

‘Rude, Group from Arc de Triomphe, Paris’.

Leigh Bowery by Fergus Greer. Session VII, Look 38 June 1994. Tate Members’ Guide: Jan-Feb-Mar 2025

Page 297: Woltz

‘David, Madame Verninac. Louvre, Paris’.

Mike Kelley, Timeless Painting #9 1995. Photo: Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. ‘Mutant Mike’, article by Charlie Fox. Tate Etc, Autumn 2024, Issue 63.

Page 299: Platty Joobs

‘David, The Death of Marat. Musée Royal des Beaux-Arts, Brussels’.

Prince Louis. Photo by Mike Tindall/ Getty?/ PA Images? Hello, Issue 1741, 13.6.22. Picture Editor: Becky Cox.

Page 300: we cannot have one thing without another

‘Géricault, Madman. Ghent’.

‘An African mask that belonged to Roger Fry (Sang Tribe, Gabon, West Africa). Courtauld Institute Galleries, London’.

Page 303: The history book on the shelf

‘Ingres, Napoleon as Emperor. Musée de l'Armée, Paris’.

Mike Kelley, Ahh… Youth! 1991 (detail). Photo: Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. ‘Mutant Mike’, article by Charlie Fox. Tate Etc, Autumn 2024, Issue 63.

Page 308: Nature is indifferent

‘Casper David Friedrich, The Wreck of the ‘Hope’. Kunsthalle, Hamburg’.

Mariá Bartuszová cleaning snow off the slide at the kindergarten on Sládkovičova Street in Revúca, Slovakia, 1970. From the article ‘A Futurist Form’ by Anke Kempkes. Photo: Estate of Maria Bartuszova/ Alison Jaques. Tate Etc, Autumn 2022, Issue 56.

Page 311: He died at the age of thirty-three

‘Géricault, English Scene (lithograph)’.

Detail from More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid, by Mike Kelley, 1987. Photo: Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. ‘Mutant Mike’, article by Charlie Fox. Tate Etc, Autumn 2024, Issue 63.

Page 316: the noon gun

‘Doré, Men setting their watches by the noon gun (lithograph)’.

Yoko Ono with Glass Hammer, 1967, from HALF-A-WIND SHOW, Lisson Gallery, London, 1967. Photo by Clay Perry. Cut from Tate ‘Exhibition Highlights 2023-24’.

Page 318: middle-class morality?

‘Rodin, Balzac (plaster). Musée Rodin, Meudon’.

Leigh Bowery, Skull, 1992. Photo and article by Nick Knight. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Page 321: with Mills and Ovens and Cauldrons

‘De Loutherbourg, Coalbrookdale by Night. Science Museum, London’.

Sean Connery as Daniel Dravot in ‘The Man Who Would be King’, John Huston, 1975. Cinematography by Oswald Morris. Adapted from Rudyard Kipling’s 1888 novella.

Page 322: the State of the Poor

‘Rustic Charity (mezzotint after Beechy)’

Unnamed royal corgi. Report by Thomas Whitaker about Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. Photo: Alamy. Hello, Issue 1741, 13.6.22. Picture Editor: Becky Cox.

Page 336: somewhat joyless style

‘Brunel in 1857 (photograph)’.

Artwork by Mike Kelley, The David Geffen Company, 1992. Cut from ‘Dirty: A Love Letter’, an article by Susan Finlay about the influence of Mike Kelley. Tate Etc, Winter 2024, Issue 64.

Page 337: factory chimneys in the background

‘Seurat, La Baignade. National Gallery, London’.

Brunette #4 Ponytail with factory bun in original outfit, 1960. Courtesy of Linda Oliva. Barbie, Mattel Inc. Barbie Identifier by Janine Fennick, Apple Press, 1998. Photo by Garry Stuart.

Page 340: influence on Van Gogh

‘Millet, Peasant (drawing). Ashmolean Museum, Oxford’.

I’m sorry, but I currently can’t find where I cut this flower from. I will keep looking, and update.

Page 345: the chaos of modern art

‘Karsh, Einstein (photograph)’.

Unnamed woman in Dior jewellery advert. Tate Etc, Autumn 2022, Issue 56.

Exile Textile II: The New Normal

July 17, 2025

In anticipation of my upcoming exhibition at the Barbican Library (scroll down for details) I have finished documenting my Exile Textile series. Amen.

Exile Textile II: The New Normal 2020 - 21. 100 x 87cm. Hand stitched fabric scraps.

As well as a personal diary, ‘Exile Textile II: The New Normal’ also documents events in the wider world at the time of the Lockdowns. It is made from materials found around my parents’ house, as I nursed my mother in the final year of her life.

It’s called ‘The New Normal’, in that that’s what people were saying about the current world situation. But also, a ‘new normal’ for me, in that my mam died during the making of this piece. And ‘Exile Textile II’, in that I made some art from textiles whilst exiled at my parents’ house, and this is the second one. You can see the first one here, and the third one here.

My Exile Textiles wouldn’t have been made if it hadn’t been for Mam’s cancer. I went Up North to nurse her in February 2020, and got locked in. Stitching these little bits and bobs kept me sane. The logistics of stitching newspaper (my usual practice) proved impossible, whereas carrying around an old duster and a needle, much easier.

The whole thing is backed with a sheet from Mam’s bed. We had to tear it off when she vomited, as we couldn’t remove it from beneath her.

Below is an explanation of the different sections.

GET OUTTA MY PUB/CAPITOL is a nod to the death, on 10th December 2020, of Barbara Windsor. It became her catchphrase on Eastenders. I once accidentally saw her herding sheep on London Bridge. Also, once, in the late eighties, when I briefly worked for a theatrical costumier’s, I spoke to her on the phone. One more thing, there are two ladies in my home town who went to school with her. They were evacuated during the war. Dad likes to chat to them but he hasn’t seen them for ages. About four weeks after Babs’ death, Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building in Washington DC. They were attempting to overturn his defeat in the 2020 USA presidential election. On 7th November 2020, Trump tweeted I WON THIS ELECTION BY A LOT.

ZOOM, the video thing, was new (to most people, anyway) in 2020.

PEACE MAKER is my mam, 1944 - 2021.

COVIDIOTS were new, too. According to the Urban Dictionary, ‘Someone who ignores warnings regarding public health and safety. A person who hoards goods, denying them for their neighbours.’

‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY CAREFUL was a hypocritical soundbite from the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

CRONYISM ‘The appointment of friends and associates to positions of authority, without proper regard to their qualifications’. Oxford English Dictionary. Always rampant amongst those at ‘the top’, but here referring in particular to the PPE contracts scandal, which according to the Government’s website cost the British taxpayer £1.4 billion.

VIENNA On 2nd November 2020, a few hours before Vienna was to enter lockdown, 4 people were killed and 23 injured in a gun attack.

HAND OF GOD refers to the death of Diego Maradona, who died on 25th November 2020, whilst commenting on the wider Covid situation and the frequent comparisons to biblical plagues.

LOCKDOWN 2.0/3 the second (5/11/2020) and third (4/1/21) UK lockdowns during the Pandemic.

FREE CUTHBERT was a Twitter hashtag. On 16th April 2021, Marks & Spencer launched legal action against Aldi’s Cuthbert Caterpillar cake, on account of it being very similar to their very own, and totally delicious (although not as delicious as it used to be), Colin. Twitter went hilariously berserk.

DES O’CONNOR, 1932 - 2020. The comedian, singer (36 albums and 4 top ten singles), television presenter and the butt of Eric and Ernie’s jokes (which he took admirably, and apparently helped to write) died on 14th November. According to Wikipedia he was the son of a cleaner and a dustman.

BIDEN HARRIS On 11th August 2020, Kamala Harris was chosen by Joe Biden to be his running mate in the 2020 presidential election. NEVER-ENDING SHADE is a line from the poem, ‘The Hill We Climb’, written and recited by Amanda Gorman at the Biden inauguration on 20th January, 2021.

YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY HERE JACKIE WEAVER Said by Brian Tolver at a Handforth Parish Council Zoom meeting on 10th December, 2020. The meeting went viral, catapulting Jackie to UK Twitter fame. She opened the Brits, ALW wrote a song about her, and I stitched her. This also gave me a name for my Substack - Alison Aye Has No Authority. READ IT AND UNDERSTAND IT was also said at the aforementioned meeting.

ROAD MAP In March 2021, ‘the people of England saw restrictions start to lift and the Government’s four-step roadmap offered a route back to normal life.’ UK Government Website.

RASHFORD, SANCHO, SAKA The reference to Rashford is twofold. On 15th June 2020, Marcus Rashford wrote an open letter to the government asking to overturn the decision not to extend the food voucher scheme for vulnerable children during the school summer holidays.

During the Euros Final (that’s the football, not the money) in July 2021, Rashford, Sancho and Saka received horrendous racial abuse when they missed penalties. ITA 3, ENG 2. Estimated global audience of 328 million.

ROSA, SARA, FRIMID, ABRAM, MARTIN, SHEINDEL, GITTA, MOSHE, HERMAN AND LESLIE KLEINMAN On 28th January 2021, I read a newspaper article in which Leslie Kleinman asks that his family, who were killed by the nazis, should be remembered. He died on 30th June, 2021. Leslie’s family were taken to Auschwitz when he was 14. They were all murdered except Leslie and his sister Gitta. Not that he knew she had survived. She died shortly after liberation. After the war, Leslie came to the UK. ‘I married, built a family and created a new life. My children should have had grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins’.

SQUEEZE THE DISEASE On 23rd November 2020, Boris Johnson told us to, ‘Get a test to help squeeze the disease and reduce the restrictions that your town or city has endured.’

WALK ON THROUGH THE WIND, WALK ON THROUGH THE RAIN lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein from You’ll Never Walk Alone. I stitched them, whilst trying to navigate my own storm in 2020. They were intended for my first Exile Textile, but they wouldn’t fit. My husband and son are lifelong Liverpool FC supporters.

MUTE Being a moron, I never bought anything pink for my daughter. My mother regularly made up for that. She bought this dress in 2006 in a shop in Spenny called Mackays. In my day the Mackays’ building was Doggarts, a fantastic department store that was a treat to visit. I can see the toy department in my mind’s eye right now, with money darting overhead in those tube thingies. Mute was often used at the time, regarding stopping unwanted noise during a video-meeting. It has dual meaning here, though, as I revert to being ‘mute’ when I am in my childhood home.

PRINCESS NUT NUTS (or Nut Nut depending on who is telling the story) is a nickname Dominic Cummings (now-sacked-but-then-prime-minister’s-senior-aid) used for Carrie Symonds (prime-minister’s-24-years-younger-mistress-wife) and PRINCESS LATIFA is the daughter of the ruler of Dubai. In 2020 she was abducted by her father, after she fled in 2018. Her story is currently being turned into a TV drama called The Escape. Lindsay Shapero is writing the script.

LONG COVID is a chronic illness that can develop or persist after a COVID-19 infection.

A BAREFACED LIAR PROMOTED TO OUR HIGHEST OFFICE A quote from the much anticipated sixth series of Line of Duty. On 2nd May 2021, 56% of the UK’s television audience watched the final episode. The words were said by Superintendent Ted Hastings, played by Adrian Dunbar. I can’t be certain, but I think that Jed Mercurio was directing these words straight at Boris Johnson. That’s where I’m pointing my stitched version, anyway.

THE NEW NORMAL (broken heart under) that’s what people were saying about the then-current world situation. But also, a new normal for me, in that my mam died during the making of this piece.

Materials

Dad’s handkerchiefs: Background and letters for Get Outta My Pub; Zoom; ITA 3 ENG 2; Jackie Weaver.

Dad’s white shirt: Capitol; the Kleinmans; Jackie Weaver; You’ll Never Walk Alone; title and signature; Rashford, Sancho and Saka.

Red/green fabric from Mam’s Christmas Craft Fair stash: Capitol; ‘Tis the season; lockdowns; Hand of God; You’ll Never Walk Alone; Mam.

My sister’s black Dorothy Perkins’ trousers: Road Map; Free Cuthbert; the Kleinmans; Never Ending Shade.

Mam’s dusters: Free Cuthbert; Barefaced Liar; Lockdowns; ‘Tis the season.

My unintentionally sexy salmon blouse: I won this election; Princesses, Barefaced Liar; Covidiots.

Once red (now orange) sheet: Barefaced Liar.

Mr S’s orange boxers bought at Charing Cross Next on Christmas Eve c1990: Barefaced Liar

Mr S’s shirts: Vienna; Des; I won this election; Zoom; Lockdown; Ita 3 Eng 2.

Apron: Des; Princess Nut Nuts.

My old blue dress: Latifa; Get outta my pub.

Giles’ NPG Uniform: the red bit in Biden.

Off-cut from some blinds I once made: BIDEN HARRIS.

My Old Denim Dress: Cronyism; Road Map.

My daughter’s dress: Road Map, read it and understand it.

Mam’s nightie, cut from her because we couldn’t get it over her head: Mam, peacemaker, 1944 - 2021.

Del’s old shirts: Background for Biden/Harris; Long Covid; Never-Ending Shade; covidiots.

My NPG uniform: Hand of God.

My daughter’s floral pink dress: Hand of God.

My daughter’s pink and orange dress: Mute.

Green satin from Cathy: ‘tis the season; mute.

Old sheet we had to rip off Mam’s bed: backing.

My sister’s black tote bag: Road Map.

Purple Seersucker, an old skirt I made myself (fabric bought from Rolls and Rems in Lewisham) for my first and last trip to Florence in 1997: Rashford, Sancho, Saka.

Stitched using Mam’s thread; Judith (mother of Nick) Cash’s thread, who died a few weeks after my mam; and some vintage Sylko, a birthday present from my friend Cathy.

Civilisation. Barbican Library, London EC2. 1st - 28th August. Mon, Wed, Fri 9.30-5.30; Tues + Thurs 9.30-7.30; Sat 9.30-4. Check for time changes on library website. I am aiming to be there Mondays and Saturdays. Private View: Mon 4th Aug, 6-8.25pm. No booking required. All of my Exile Textiles are in private collections. I have ordered three (one of each) huge A0 prints (from Klein in Manchester) to exhibit. I will be selling them at cost price (because they are display copies and I will be happy to break-even) to any visitor who wants to buy. If you want a pristine copy, with a reasonable mark-up, see my print shop.

Also, you can currently see The Audience 2025 at Tension Gallery, 135 Maple Road, London SE20. I’ll be part of a ‘Talk’ at 2pm on Saturday 19th July. No booking required. Airing. Until 26th July. Fri and Sat, 11am - 5pm. Closing at 4pm on the final day. The Audience 2024 is for sale here.

**Page 125.** Dying Slave (Captive), Michelangelo, c1510-13. Louvre, France. Leigh Bowery by Fergus Greer, 1988. Session 1, Look 2. Michael Hoppen Gallery. Cut from Tate Members’ Guide, Jan-Feb-March 2025.

Lord-Sir-Kenneth-Clark's Civilisation

July 7, 2025

I have spent 19 out of the last 21 days at the day jobs (long days, mind, not short-arsed ones) dreaming of today, a day at home, making art. Now I’m in a stew about not having enough time left to finish my work for the Barbican Library exhibition next month.

My mad day-jobs frenzy came to head on Saturday with the Preview of an exhibition I’ve been curating at Tension Gallery. It looks great, thanks to quality artwork and installation help from the ever-patient punk legend, Nick Cash*. I’ve never curated a show. I’m knackered, but proud, and grateful to Ken Turner for putting his trust in me. If you are in a position to visit, I’ll be invigilating throughout, and up for a chat. I have nailed this year’s faces (unfinished, obvs) to the wall, as my contribution.

Airing: Tension Fine Art, 135 Maple Road, London SE20. Until 26th June. Fridays and Saturdays 11am - 5pm, closing at 4pm on the final day. Coffee morning 11am, 11th July. Artists’ Talk 2pm, 19th July.

Back to the Barbican. It’s mainly going to be old work, of course, because TIME. However, although I haven’t touched it for a month, I have been spending early mornings and evenings butchering ‘Civilisation’. That’s the book to accompany the ancient TV series by Lord-Sir-Kenneth-Clark, a man born into a wealthy ‘textiles family’ and responsible for my questionable early art education (didn’t include female artists and missed out a huge chunk of non-western culture). Anyway, I’ve never cut up a serviceable book before, due to deeply ingrained ‘respect’ for the printed word. But after seeing Mutant Library (my favourite Tension exhibition) I decided not to give a shit, and crossed the floor. Zero remorse, so far. Turning the pages (along with old Tate/ V&A magazines) into collages with a joyful vengeance. They’re not signed yet, but I’ll add a few images (scroll to end for credits).

I’ll be sharing the space with Kemi Athene Pennicott, but it’s two completely different exhibitions.

Civilisation: Barbican Library, London EC2. 1st - 28th August. Mon, Wed + Fri 9.30am - 5.50pm; Tues + Thurs 9.30am - 7.30pm; Sat 9.30am - 4pm. Check the library website for time changes. I intend to be there every Monday and Saturday, with daily updates on my website/Instagram informing of my whereabouts should you wish to avoid me, or not.

Some other exciting news is that my Exile Textiles will be in a book by Julia Triston. Textile Protest: Artists, Activism and the Historical Power of Cloth in Protest, published by Batsford Books and out on 14th August. It’s ‘thoughtfully illustrated with examples that include heavily embroidered suffragette and trade union banners, the knitted pussyhats of the 2017 Women’s March, protest textiles from the Guerrilla Girls, Pride flags that celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, and the vast variety of textile art in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. It also covers the rich history of fine art textiles with a political theme, such as Judy Chicago’s iconic 1970s installation The Dinner Party, and includes interviews with prominent activist artists that give further insight into the way everyday materials can be repurposed to create arresting political art’. Get me.

Back to the stitching,

A x

* Nick has a very niche touring exhibition (Crash Ride Snare) of drummers’ art. Thing is, most of his artists are over 50. Some youth is required. If you are a young drummer, who is also an artist (or you know someone who fits the bill) give him a shout on his Instagram and tell him I sent you @crash_ride_snare

**Page 92.** St Augustine, Sandro Botticelli, 1480. Fresco. Ognissanti, Florence. Glove puppet of Judy, Fred Tickner c 1975. Given by the British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild. Cut from V&A Magazine, Summer 2019. Photo V&A*

**Page 316.** Men setting their watches by the noon gun (lithograph), Gustave Doré. Yoko Ono with Glass Hammer, 1967, from HALF-A-WIND SHOW, Lisson Gallery, London, 1967. Photo by Clay Perry. Cut from Tate ‘Exhibition Highlights 2023-24’.

A Good Kick Up My Cocky Arse

March 26, 2025

There is a ‘62 Group’ exhibition coming soon to Farnham. Being a member of said group, I took it for granted that I would be in it. I confidently sashayed to the framer with ‘Jake and Dinos Chapman Have An Idea’ (yes, another prod at the male dominated artworld) the minute I’d cast off. My usual stance is to wait until confirmation before committing to the expense of a frame.

I was rejected.

Seven positives.

1. I got a good kick up my cocky arse. Always good.

2. I was forced (old work wasn’t submittable) to focus. This is the only piece of work I’ve completed in three years. What about last year's Faces? (I hear you cry). Not quite finished yet. 2023’s Faces, then? Not even started. What about that piece in the Royal Academy Summer Show? Made in 2022.

3. I enjoyed the making. The ‘small work’ stipulation proved to be perfectly manageable. I spent Christmas and New Year stitching Ernie Wise’s legs, and enjoyed every minute.

4. I have a new piece of work, framed (not paid for or collected yet, mind) and ready to sell. Well, as soon as I’ve documented the sources.

5. Another artist, hopefully a previous rejectee, has been given a platform. The gallery is small. There is not enough space for everyone. The curators can’t please us all. It can’t always be my turn.

6. I no longer need to take time from my day jobs (I don’t get paid holidays) to deliver, collect work, and pay for train fares to deepest Surrey.

7. It has made me consider, not for the first time, photography. The importance of good photographs was frequently repeated in the instructions. I ignored the advice, blindly doing what I always do, taking snaps with my not-particularly-modern phone.

Joy in the Detail: Small Work from the 62 Group

7th May - 6th September, 2025.

Tuesday - Friday, 10am - 5pm. Saturday, 10am - 4pm.

Crafts Study Centre, Falkner Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7DS.

Free.

'Lying Naked' Rides Again

March 24, 2025

For the second time in seven years, ‘Lying Naked’ is out in the wild.

In 2018 it was sentenced to under-bed prison, after being hung in the National Gallery (for one night) when it reached the shortlist of the Evening Standard Art Prize. It didn’t win. Costly framing was out of the question, so I nailed it to a lump of wood. Last April it was released, as part of ‘(a contemporary) phantasmagoria’, a group show which coincidentally also had work by Matthew Collings who was one of the judges on the art prize. And now that group show rides again. In Liverpool.

‘(a contemporary) phantasmagoria 2’, continues until 29th April, 2025. Cornerstone Gallery, Liverpool Hope University, L6. 9 - 5 weekdays, 9 - 4 weekends. Hours may change at Easter. Curated by John Bunker and Ken Turner.

Lying Naked, 2018

Hand-stitched newspaper to cloth

38 x 51cm.

Left to right:

1 The Lion Man of Ulm, thought to be about 40,000 years old. Carved from mammoth ivory and discovered in Germany in 1939. Cut from the London Evening Standard, 6.9.18. Photo: Oleg Kuchar/ Museum Ulm. Taken from a book review, by Douglas Murray, of ‘Living With The Gods: On Beliefs And Peoples’ by Neil McGregor (Penguin, 2018). Also a Radio 4 series.

‘Pink Pussy Hat’ from the anti-Trump marches. Cut from the London Evening Standard, 4.9.18. The photographer appears to be uncredited, however, there is a photo of Ian Hislop on the same page credited as J Fernandes/ D Hubbard. Maybe this credit also applies to the hat photo? It was cut from a review, by Melanie McDonagh, of the British Museum exhibition, ‘I Object: Ian Hislop’s Search For Dissent’. I saw this exhibition. The hat was displayed in a glass cabinet as if valued, but the knitter was not named. I would’ve almost accepted ‘we tried to find the maker of this piece’, but nothing.

Feet of Boris Johnson, London 2012. From that photo when he was on the zipwire with a Union Jack in each hand. Barcroft Media*.

2. Torso of Donald Trump with the arm of his granddaughter, Arabella. Cut from the London Evening Standard, 30.7.18. Photographer uncredited.

‘Busting out the moves’ legs of Theresa May, Metro 31.8.18. PA*.

3. Jeanne Hébuterne as Nu couché (sur le côté gauche) by Amedeo Modigliani, 1917. Sold at Sotheby’s in New York for £116m. Cut from the Guardian, 12.5.18. Article by Rupert Neate. Photo: AFP/Getty*. Additional article by Miranda Bryant, London Evening Standard, 15.5.18.

Prosthetic leg with leather boot of Frida Kahlo. London Evening Standard, 17.5.18. Advertisement for ‘Making Herself Up’ exhibition at the V&A. Photo by Javier Hinojosa.

4 Torso of AJ Cook as JJ Jareau (Special Agent Jennifer Jareau) in ‘Criminal Minds’. Cut from the TV schedule page of the London Evening Standard, 29.3.18. Photographer uncredited.

Legs of Kendall Jenner ‘in feathers’ by designer Rick Owens. Photographer uncredited.

5 Torso of Kim Jong-un on a visit to a teacher training college in Pyongyang. London Evening Standard, 17.1.18. Photographer uncredited.

Skirt and left leg of Serena Williams, U.S. Open, 2018. ‘The 36-year-old wore a dress, designed by Louis Vuitton Men’s Artistic Director Virgil Abloh, as she beat Polish player, Magda Linette, in straight sets’. London Evening Standard, 28.8.18. Photographer uncredited.

Right leg of Natalie Portman, who ‘transformed herself into a punk for her film Vox Lux, in which she plays a musician called Celeste’. London Evening Standard, 1.3.18. Photographer uncredited.

*The photo credits appear as they did in the publication from which the images were cut. For the record, I don't accept the name of a company as the credit for a photograph. There was an actual person behind the camera. If you are that person, or know them, please let me know. Also, the information in the articles may be fabricated. I use the Evening Standard and Metro newspapers because they are free. I couldn’t afford to make my work if I bought a more ‘reputable’ publication every day.

Evening Standard Art Prize, National Gallery, 2018

ING Discerning Eye

November 8, 2023

I’m really pleased to say that Family Affair has been selected for this year’s ING Discerning Eye.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT MY WORK IS ANY BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE’S! It just means that this year (I have submitted work eighteen times, that’s eighteen years, and been accepted thrice) one of the judges liked my work. I won’t find out which judge selected me until the Private View on 16th November*.

The exhibition is six small (the work is small-scale, too) exhibitions in one. Each judge mounts their own show. The panel is always made up of two artists (Chris Levine, Julian Wild), two collectors (Tony Adams, the footballer, Ian ‘H’ Watkins, the singer) and two critics or some-such (Peju Oshin, critic, Eliza Gluckman - Director of the Government Art Collection). I’m betting Chris Lavine selected mine, on account of his portrait of the Queen, but who knows?

Numbers are limited for the PV (my +1 is reserved for my friend Cathy, if she’s available?), but the exhibition is free and runs at the Mall Galleries in London, from 17th - 26th November.

Image: Detail from Family Affair.

*Edit: It was Chris Levine.

How Much?

June 29, 2023

I should’ve thought this through beforehand.

Last month, I had some work (an unimaginable amount of hours in hand embroidery) accepted for a group show a few hundred miles away. A very expensive train journey involving three changes, not possible to do in a singe day on the coach. After much deliberation, I decided not to take part.

Because money.

The price I put on the artwork was £675 (How much?).

The gallery takes 35% (not complaining), which leaves £438.75.

The submission cost was £15, leaving £423.75.

The framing was £145.04 (again, not complaining), leaving £278.71.

The fare to the framer’s was £15.20 (£3.80 x 4), leaving £263.51.

The fare to drop the work at the exhibition (and come home again) would be £140, leaving £123.51.

So, best case scenario, my work sells (the stats say it won’t) and I make £123.51 for a piece of work that was years in the making.

A more likely outcome is I make a loss of £280 in train fares, and valuable time, after collecting the piece when the exhibition finishes. The only upside is I would’ve met some new artists, who may have become friends, which is, of course, priceless.

The exhibition organisers were lovely and went out of their way to try and make this work for me, but in the end it just didn’t add up.