Head: lace
Head: weft and warp
2008 Bronze

The weft and the warp of a piece of fabric are the names given to the thread that goes horizontally (weft) and interlaces with the thread that goes vertically (warp). This is the structure, the strength and character that IS the fabric. Add colour and pattern and the individuality of the fabric shines out.

India, without this structure, strength, character and colour would not be India. There is something so enduring about the elegant women in their colourful saris who stand out in the dusty, sun-bleached scenery of this amazing sub-continent. To me, they appear to be the weft and warp of Indian society; the fabric has shaped their identity – a material culture which is so intrinsic to Indian society it is almost as if one cannot exist without the other.

Both Head; weft and warp and Head; lace are my attempts to transform these thoughts into images which convey exactly this, except that each of these women has a different story to tell.