My aim is to make my art pieces from specially curated re-used existing materials and found objects. I want my customers to feel good about repurposing fabrics and be able to own a special piece of cloth with its own story.
The suburban infrastructure in my local area, is a focus of my textile practice and I explore how place is special to people and how place memory affects our wellbeing. My textile pieces also reflect the story of a place. Where buildings and infrastructure become redundant and are replaced, it is important to record the story of those changes.
I like to challenge tradition by re-using unexpected existing materials to represent the structures and motifs that I am drawn to. Suburban structures, such as pylons, chain link fence and bike chains have all been interpreted by me in textiles in direct response to events and places I have experienced.
Telling a story forms part of my practice. I challenge accepted narratives and examine mainstream points of view in order to understand and then present a more rounded picture.
Sarah McAlister 