Sue Gascoyne
Sue Gascoyne
Sue Gascoyne, Sanctuary, 2024/25, ink & watercolour on calico, recycled packaging, textiles, yarn, thread, wool roving, netting, wire & beads. Photography by Tessa Hallmann.
Sanctuary is a sensory-rich and immersive exploration of safety and what it means to be human. The installation features humble textiles carefully and gradually layered and transformed through a process of attentive and thoughtful making. The resulting bodily space envelops you and invites reflections upon themes of gender, home, connection, containment and identity. Care is imbued throughout every element of Sanctuary. The hand of the maker is evident in the plethora of practices used to bring this installation to life. The use of utilitarian cloth throughout the installation, transformed through the domestic act of sewing, interrogates gendered caregiving roles. Sanctuary offers a safe, immersive space in which to feel held, at a time when many of us feel unrooted, disempowered, disengaged and disconnected.
Elizabeth Sorrell, The Bird’s Nest, 1976, watercolour on paper, 14 x 19 cm, Beecroft Art Collection. Photography by Tessa Hallmann.
Small watercolour on paper depicting a nest crafted from twigs, moss and leaves within which nestle three bird’s eggs. By juxtaposing a series of nest-like forms with Sorrell’s painting, the symbol of a nest and its connotations of safety have been re-imagined.
Biography
Sue Gascoyne is a socially engaged textile artist based in Essex. Drawing upon lived experience and her role as a Play and Creative Arts therapist, Sue’s current practice focuses on agency, women’s voices and trauma. She particularly enjoys playing with materiality to push the boundaries of what is possible and the challenge and impact of creating sculptural pieces. Sustainability and repurposing waste materials are central to her work. Sue’s Beecroft Gallery installation shines a light on trauma and mental health issues, giving opportunities for reflection, self-expression, discussion and healing. Titled Sanctuary, it offers a safe, immersive space for visitors to feel held, reflect and be. An ambitious installation made up of numerous stitched, layered and embellished pieces, ‘Sanctuary’ hopes to give a voice to themes of gender, home, safety, connection and containment at a time when many of us feel unrooted, disempowered, disengaged and disconnected.