On a warm, late summer day, Marcia took a stroll through Boerum Hill to Gowanus to meet up with artist Sue Allbert. Touring Sue's studio and the Gowanus Canal, Marcia and Sue chatted about Sue's New York Textile Month's exhibit, materials, process, and inspiration.
M.PATMOS: Can you share the inspiration behind this year’s New York Textile Month Textile Installation? What themes or ideas do you explore in your work?
Sue: I have been thinking a lot about time. This strange concept that we organise our lives around and that can feel so confining sometimes -like the opposite of creativity. My process is very time consuming, unpicking and patching, mending and stitching. It slows me down- in a good way! And that’s where things open up, in that space where I’m really present with the work. I thought a lot about all the different ways that I experience time. So the process of making has really informed the themes. In one series I got to thinking about the imaginal cells of butterflies. These are the only cells in a caterpillar that can imagine its future as a butterfly. I love this idea of potential. That the cells can create new concepts or possibilities for something that doesn’t exist yet.
M.PATMOS: You used our swatches and offcuts to create a piece for our window display for NYTM. What was the thinking behind the piece?
Sue: The piece is called “Fruition”. I was thinking about Autumn. It feels like the season when so much has been accomplished in nature. And everywhere you look there are the remnants of all that activity. I was drawn to those silhouettes and shapes and the fabric colours really spoke to the beauty and variety of this time of year.
M.PATMOS: Is there a specific process you follow for mending and combining different materials?
Sue: Every new body of work, wether it's a quilt or a series of smaller studies starts with colour. I begin by making compositions of swatches on my wall, moving them around and playing with different combinations. Sometimes its a vintage find that will start the process, or a colour that I’ve hand dyed or a photograph. As I start putting things together I just follow my instinct I guess. It’s like painting with fabrics. I add and subtract as I go until it feels finished. A piece might sit unfinished for months because I don’t know where to go but eventually I’ll come back to it and understand what it needs.
M.PATMOS: What did you do before this? How did you develop your unique style?
Sue: I had a career in the fashion industry. I learned a lot- got to travel and live in many wonderful places. I also learned how damaging the industry is to many of the people who work in it. And to our beautiful planet. My practice is centred around the idea of “ make do and mend”. My Grandmother was a huge part of my life and raised a family during the second world war in England. She lived by this ethos out of necessity, this idea of not wasting or discarding anything. I love creating newness out of old discarded things. It adds so much life and serendipity to my process.
M.PATMOS: Have there been any particular artists or movements that have influenced your work? If so, how?
Sue: Louise Bourgeois and Kiki Smith come to mind. Their work is inspiring on many levels, the themes of domesticity and gender but especially how they move between different mediums which is something that really interests me in my own practice. Anni Albers has also been a huge influence. Her work opened the doors for others to explore fine art through traditional “crafts”. And her use of colour is so inspiring. And of course the incredible quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. I was so lucky to attend a retreat with China and Mary Ann Pettway earlier this year in Jackson, Mississippi and to meet in person people whose work has inspired me for many years.
M.PATMOS: Can you discuss any upcoming projects or exhibitions you’re excited about?
Sue: I’m super excited about the work I’m showing at M.PATMOS! This is my first time showing for New York Textile month and it's so nice the see my work in this environment- we share the love of the hand crafted and need for sustainability. It feels like such a lovely fit.
M.PATMOS: What advice would you give to aspiring artists looking to find their voice and develop their practice?
Sue: Be unapologetically you! Don’t worry too much about where you’re going, just follow your curiosity wherever it takes you even if it might not make “sense” at first. If you really listen to what you want to say it will all become clear.
