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Louise Swanton is a Contemporary Textile Artist, Designer and Teacher currently based in Mid Wales. Louise grew up in the grounds of Powis Castle, giving her constant inspiration from the natural ad historic surroundings which led her into a career in Art. She likes to create unique pieces using a range of traditional to more contemporary techniques.
Louise’s most recent work looks into the theme ‘migration’. Absorbing the news daily Louise kept seeing the pained look of refugees and migrants; people desperate for help and a safe place to live. Their names often missing from the news reports when ships have sank or lives have been lost attempting to cross the channel tunnel to safety. Many in European countries have been arguing and wanting to send these people; women, children, men, babies back to their war torn country as they do not feel the consequences of the war should be felt in the pockets of others. Louise has tried to create statement pieces looking both into the reasons they want to leave and the horrible end of life to many on these dangerous journeys. On the lifejacket ‘The Price of Freedom’ Louise has sewn the names and ages of those who have died on their way to a safer country; including some as young as 1 hour old. The research on this project has been upsetting as the names are difficult to find, leading to those deaths being portrayed as somehow less important in the media. Louise has looked into and sewn the number of those missing and dead onto the jacket; the overlooked and unnamed. There are also some grizzly facts upon the jacket about how a body was fed to the sharks. The thread colours are white and red to symbolise blood and the purity of those innocents whom lives have been lost having to escape their home because of a war they did not want.
Another piece ‘Butterfly Dreams’ symbolises the need for freedom, the hopes and dreams of those needing a new start. The bright blues in the background symbolise the crossing of the sea, using words within the threads to show how much hope is put into crossing. These are all interwoven together, a strong yet delicate structure. The butterflies on this pieces shows the need to fly free and to get away.
Louise is currently working on other pieces which will fit into this collection of works which will be photographed after the ‘Migration’ exhibition at The Qube Gallery.
www.louiseswanton.com [email protected]
Louise’s most recent work looks into the theme ‘migration’. Absorbing the news daily Louise kept seeing the pained look of refugees and migrants; people desperate for help and a safe place to live. Their names often missing from the news reports when ships have sank or lives have been lost attempting to cross the channel tunnel to safety. Many in European countries have been arguing and wanting to send these people; women, children, men, babies back to their war torn country as they do not feel the consequences of the war should be felt in the pockets of others. Louise has tried to create statement pieces looking both into the reasons they want to leave and the horrible end of life to many on these dangerous journeys. On the lifejacket ‘The Price of Freedom’ Louise has sewn the names and ages of those who have died on their way to a safer country; including some as young as 1 hour old. The research on this project has been upsetting as the names are difficult to find, leading to those deaths being portrayed as somehow less important in the media. Louise has looked into and sewn the number of those missing and dead onto the jacket; the overlooked and unnamed. There are also some grizzly facts upon the jacket about how a body was fed to the sharks. The thread colours are white and red to symbolise blood and the purity of those innocents whom lives have been lost having to escape their home because of a war they did not want.
Another piece ‘Butterfly Dreams’ symbolises the need for freedom, the hopes and dreams of those needing a new start. The bright blues in the background symbolise the crossing of the sea, using words within the threads to show how much hope is put into crossing. These are all interwoven together, a strong yet delicate structure. The butterflies on this pieces shows the need to fly free and to get away.
Louise is currently working on other pieces which will fit into this collection of works which will be photographed after the ‘Migration’ exhibition at The Qube Gallery.
www.louiseswanton.com [email protected]
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