As an artist and a woman I live and work in different cultures. Born and raised in Germany and living in Wales the concepts of identity and belonging are central to me. I am fascinated by the human body, its lines, shapes, and its capacity for movement and I am inspired by natural organic shapes. I use traditional techniques: hand knitting, crochet and felt, working with wool yarns and fabrics. My sculptural pieces are designed to be experienced with all the senses, especially touch and movement. Photography has become important in my practice, to gather images, to show process and change, to ‘set a scene’ for my installations, and to explore ideas/concepts before I start the process of ‘making’. My involvement with profoundly disabled young people, who have shown me how art can be created and enjoyed in an immediate and physical way, has deeply influenced me. The haptic qualities of my objects, the desire to create pieces that can be part of art in everyday life, have grown out of this: textiles ‘move’ with the body as clothing; they touch the body as blankets and cushions. All my pieces are hand- made.
I am currently working on projects involving my textile pieces in the development of storylines, poems and other word-based art forms using the qualities of the pieces in movement. I have also started to perform myself with my pieces, aiming for direct interaction with the public. Contacts made in Germany, in 2013, will hopefully lead to collaborative work with organisations and individual artists abroad in the future enabling me to contribute to intercultural understanding and raising awareness of Welsh art.