Skin on Skin, 2024
Latex, wadding, Shetland wool handspun by Angela Maddock.
277 x 115cm
Skin on Skin responds to The Festival of Quilts held at NEC Birmingham. It comments on the vastness + formality of the festival, the ‘do not touch’ expectation, the conference centre vibe, the rush to spend money, the stewards wearing white cotton gloves lifting corners to show spectators the back. The skill on display at The Festival of Quilts is hugely impressive, a celebration of pure craft. I, however, just want to touch the quilts and play with the format.
Skin on Skin considers the myriad offerings of care linked to textiles and the tactile bodily comfort felt from the gesture of being offered a blanket. My version of a wholecloth quilt, the front and back are latex casts of a quilt, with long arms that can be worn and wrapped around loved ones or yourself. Its sticky surface speaks to holding skin to skin, fusing bodies.
Skin on Skin article written for The Quilters Guild publication, The Quilter Journal No. 188 Winter 2024