Frances Phoenix (nee Budden)’s textile-based works remain some of the most appealing and provocative examples of central core imagery. Drawing on housewifely sewing skills the artist loaded the domestic doily with sexual connotations thus confounding the Madonna/whore notion of femininity.  Zips sewn into the centre of the works invited audience participation (if they dared) emphasising the qualities of tactility and spatial intimacy later theorised as characteristics of feminine desire   Phoenix also produced the central core centrefold for the first issue of LIP magazine (1976) and was a founding member of the Women’s Domestic Needlework Group (women’s skills exchange) and the D’oyley Archive. Unfortunately, the archive was destroyed in a warehouse fire in 1985 while negotiations were in process for its sale to the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. In conjunction with Marie McMahon, Phoenix curated, coordinated and exhibited in The D’oyley Show (1979). Both artists, who worked as volunteer embroiderers on Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party, were influenced by the feminist needlework historian, Rachel Maines as indicated by the text on the poster ‘Fancywork: the Archaeology of Lives’ which reads , “‘Textiles can provide the kind of social, psychological, political and sexual information that is needed for a structured history of women’s aesthetic thought.’ Rachel Maines.”

http://www.outskirts.arts.uwa.edu.au/volumes/volume-29/adams-jude-looking-with-in

 

In the 1970s there was a lot of radical change within the way visual arts discourse was being discussed. One of the big critiques that second wave feminism had of mainstream art history was that it excluded a lot of creative practices that had been traditionally limited to women. Things like embroidery, knitting and crochet that we associate with the “domestic realm.” Quite a few women, particularly within Australia, were interested in how they could use that history of women creative knowledge to subversively create art with materials that had really been pushed outside the art schools and institutions that were male dominated.

There were some really interesting movements such as the Women’s Domestic Needlework Group, an organisation that came out of Sydney University. Women would get together and exchange knowledge about needlework. They would document stitches, materials and all this stuff that men hadn’t paid attention to. It was very much a reclaiming of women’s knowledge within second wave feminism and re-asserting needlework and textiles as a legitimate art practice.

https://i-d.vice.com/en_au/article/papevm/a-brief-history-of-women-changing-the-world-with-textiles

The history of women and textiles is about more than mending and sewing clothes. Our stitches are embedded with a heritage of female protest and activism. Before we could speak our minds freely, safely and publicly, we spoke about our lives through craft and “domestic” arts. In the 70s, embroidery and knitting were central to second-wave feminism’s take down of traditional, male-centric art institutions. Today, we still recognise textiles as a form of communication, and a way to press against capitalist consumer ideals.

• Women have communicated through textiles over the centuries, they touch on subjects that are political and use it as a form of activism.
• This form connects the heritage of female labour and community with todays society.

 

Elizabeth Parker was a seventeen year old domestic servant who in 1830 created an embroidery that chronicled her life story. In it, she detailed an incident of sexual assault. She hand embroidered, probably by candlelight hidden away in an attic, this really explosive narrative about this man who hurt and abused her. It’s absolutely incredible and an example of how women who didn’t have access to public forms of communication could use a needle and thread to covertly tell their story.

https://i-d.vice.com/en_au/article/papevm/a-brief-history-of-women-changing-the-world-with-textiles

 

• Embroider on to man object
• Subtle patterns
• Scan embroidery in 
• Pillow cushions 
• North American clothing – 50s 
• Working clothes embroidery 
• Traditional embroidery
• Overalls manly object – playing with opposites
• Unconscious bias 
• Stereotypes with garments 
• Identification – North American sportswear 
• Arty mark action figure voice swap 

 

“so when I was a young age, I had testosterone, but I still experienced the pain of puberty. I started hormone blockers at 16, but I still got the pain and still experience the it to this day”

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/period-campaign-transgender-male-model-kenny-jones-face-pink-parcel-im-on-stigma-a8257131.html

“During my transition I did have to deal with experiencing periods each month and many of the negative stereotypes that can come along with it,” Jones said. “Assuming periods are inhibiting to people tends to perpetuate period shame even more, and makes people even more reluctant to talk about them.

“I always found the fact that no one seemed to openly talk about periods quite difficult and made me want to hide mine even more. That’s why I wanted to be involved in the I’M ON campaign.

Week 5: Printing onto photo plates

In this session I decided to print the first layer of my image. I wanted to initially print the layer in pink, but then found that the dark blue looked better.

For this process you have to use a different press to the press used to print the zinc plates.

Week 4: Photocopy image transfer

For this process you must make sure that the contrast of the black and white are high.

You can edit the image on Photoshop to play around with the contrast and apply filters such as halftone.

Step-by-step

 

1. To prepare the photocopy for print you must spray mount the copy onto acetate
2. Gum the photocopy so that the ink will not stick on to the white
3. Then roll on ink
4. And then print in the press

 

Here are some examples of the work I produced: