Greenham Control Tower textile show reflects ‘renewed sense of freedom’

Beyond 4 Walls – textileArt07 Textile Exhibition

Beyond 4 Walls is an exhibition of work by members of textileArt07 and showing at Greenham Control Tower until July 23.

It was made since the Covid lockdowns and inspired by a renewed sense of freedom. Unsurprisingly, landscape and nature are central, the work featuring beaches, woods, rivers, footpaths and commons - some local, such as Greenham Common, Speen Moors, Hamstead Marshall and others further afield.

textileART07 have been stitching together since the initial members came to the end of their City & Guilds Machine Embroidery course. The embroiderers wanted to continue meeting up and inspiring one another, so textileART07 was born. Most of the group have created work for this exhibition; several are members of Newbury Creative Stitchers and/or Basingstoke Creative Stitchers and three are Open Studios West Berkshire and North Hampshire artists (www.open-studios.org.uk).

The textile artists who have contributed to the exhibition include Marianne Mohandes who says that her main piece, an intricate hanging in blues, greens and cream was inspired by beach walks on the Isle of Wight, ‘I love the ever-moving water, the way it washes over the beaches and the rocks and the beautiful treasures it leaves behind’.

Gail Winters’ work relates to local walks from her home outside Newbury, some of her pieces feature digitally manipulated photographs which have been embellished with hand stitch.

Val Carter’s work reflects the place she missed most when she couldn’t leave home – the Thames represented by appliqué and embroidered swans and jolly bunting. Intricate free machine stitching on hand painted silk conveys Jean Battle’s country views and Wendy Lloyd has used hand-dyed collaged fabrics and hand embroidery to capture the trees and big skies that often feature in her work.

These are just a handful of the pieces and artists that are showcased in the exhibition.

The work displayed demonstrates a wide spectrum of textile techniques including hand and machine embroidery, fabric dyeing, painting, printing, stencilling, collage, quilting, embellishment and distressing.

A knowledgeable steward from textileART07 will be on hand at the Control Tower to speak to if you are interested in the techniques.

The exhibition includes framed pictures, hangings and 3D pieces, and there will be a selection of handmade cards and gifts for sale.

For further details: www.greenhamtower.org.uk

Open: Wednesday/Friday 10.30am to 3pm. and Saturday/Sunday 10am to 4pm.