Project Description
consequences of mary swift
2011
drawing in indian ink on silk
170×84 cm
Originally made for the 62 Group exhibition Interventions at the Gallery of Costume, Platt Hall, Manchester. It is a life-size consequences portrait of Paddy’s maternal grandmother who taught her to sew when Paddy was 5. It illustrates Mary’s clothing throughout her long life from her birth in 1873 to her death in 1968.
ARTISTS STATEMENT
The life-size game of consequences chronicles the unfolding story of Paddy’s grandmother, Mary Swift, & her clothes. Some Paddy remade & wore until they fell apart, but her Edwardian blouse has been hanging in her studio for over 50 years.
In her teens Mary worked as a cotton millhand in Halifax, then became a professional needlewoman, but later, when work ran out, she and her cabinet-maker husband went into service as housekeeper & gardener at Salterlee Villa, Shibden.
Mary was a great influence on Paddy, teaching her to sew when she was 5, directing her to a lifetime studying all aspects of textiles.
