Material Tests - Fabric & Threads

Monthly Fabric & Thread tests - Oct 25 to Jan 26

Material Tests: Fabric and Threads 

The finished work will be located outdoors at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, where it will be allowed to weather and gradually age into the landscape. The project will allow materials to respond to long-term environmental exposure, particularly in relation to durability, decay, and transformation and is inbuilt in the design thinking.

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  Material selection
  The slate quilt is being developed using a range of natural materials and a threads, each chosen for both is potential longevity and its inherent capacity for degradation. This tension between endurance and built-in obsolescence sits at the core of the work. The materials currently being tested include: 

  • Waxed cotton threads 

  • Waxed linen threads 

  • Stranded cotton 

  • Mercerised cotton 

  • Copper wire 

  Orientation and form
  The quilt will be draped over the back of a chaise longue at a series of angles, suggesting the trace of a body that has recently occupied the space. These angles are important not only visually, but materially, as they determine how different areas of the quilt are exposed to rain, light, and wind. 

  Environmental testing
  To explore this, I have placed pieces of slate and fabric around my allotment at various angles. These small-scale tests are used to simulate the range of orientations and weather conditions the quilt may encounter once installed at the park. 

  Thread durability tests
  Several of the slate samples have multiple thread types attached, allowing me to observe how each material responds over time. Differences in fading, corrosion, and structural breakdown are recorded and fed back into decisions about material placement within the final piece. 

  Chaise longue upholstery
  (The chaise longue will be discussed in more detail in a separate post.) It will be reupholstered in 18oz cotton canvas, which has been dyed and waxed to improve durability while remaining consistent with the material language of the quilt. 

  The images shown here document a small selection of these ongoing material tests.

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