“The process of research, development, stitching, and outcome has a mindful rhythm... 

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In my footsteps as I walk, I’m imagining stitching a line along the contours of the forest paths, like that of a dotted line on an OS map, with one continuous thread couching me down to an environment that I want to belong to, one that I’m curious about.

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Concerned for species that we might be inclined to overlook and neglect amongst the forest understory, I’m encouraged to stitch them back into being, to remind us of their importance in our delicate ecosystem. There is something about the nature of a stitch through its strength, its permanence, and its place throughout history that these ‘quiet beauties’ cannot outlast. It will never be the solution to stop their potential denigration but perhaps it will be a gentle reminder to keep a watchful eye on these vital species.”

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Amanda’s three-dimensional embroidered sculptures appear to float in their perspex cases and have the feeling of having just being collected from the forest for display – very much a modern version of a Victorian plant hunter’s specimen case.

 

“I like to think that my pieces could trick the eye into thinking that what you are seeing might be real. I am also passionate about highlighting and preserving specimens from the forest that could, without care, become red-listed. If we are not aware that they exist, how will we know when they have disappeared? By creating an embroidered sculpture of a natural object and displaying it in a case in a gallery, it brings our natural world into another dimension – we then might look for that specimen in nature, and care about its existence.”