Matthew Harris Talk 9/03/17

Another talk this week was given by Matthew Harris. Like Alice Kettle, he works primarily with stitch, but to see such a contrast between the two artists was a great way to appreciate the huge variety of textiles; despite using the same basic techniques, the work Alice and Matthew create is completely different. Matthew talked us through his practice from initial inspiration to final outcome, and spoke about the way music often provides a catalyst for a new project. He described the start of his process, which involves drawing and painting, sometimes using templates, although he explained that this is something he has done less recently. He works on large pieces of paper which are then folded, cut and manipulated to compress them into a more focused line-based compositions. These then form the foundations for his fabric compositions. He explained that most of the time he is more interested by the reverse of the stitched fabric than the front. To me, his work is like a series of free-form jigsaw puzzles, where the pieces could potentially go anywhere, but after re-arranging and re-working, each piece of fabric has a right place, where it works most effectively. Harris talked about the frustration of not being able to make a section 'fit' into the composition, and said that while it can be tempting to reach for a new piece of fabric to integrate into the design, he tries to force himself to make it work, or explore alternatives. I was impressed by this approach, and his dedication to staying within the limits he sets himself, exerting a level of constraint on a creative practice which could quite easily expand into something in-cohesive and unwieldy. Combined with the fact that he likes the final outcome to be a surprise, I thought this was a very interesting concept. My favourite pieces of his work are the ones which include unexpected pops of colour and rigid lines and stripes. Something about this combination seems to embody the nature of Harris's process; restrained and planned, but with random and exciting bursts of unpredictability. Overall, I found it a very inspiring talk, which has made me think about imposing certain limits on my own practice which I can challenge and explore.