Artist Talk: Knit 'n' Tings by Lorna Hamilton Brown
Channel: CraftsCouncil
Date: 18/05/2022

On Saturday 12 March 2022 the Crafts Council Gallery held a talk with textile artist Lorna Hamilton-Brown as part of the exhibition We Gather. The UK-based artist is known for subverting people’s associations and preconceptions of knitting and crochet to engage audiences in challenging social issues.  
 
We Gather was commissioned by Dr Karen Patel as part of her Craft Expertise research exploring inequalities and diversity in craft. The exhibition featured new work by five female artists of Black and Asian heritage - Shaheen Ahmed, Lorna Hamilton-Brown, Omeima Mudawi-Rowlings, Francisca Onumah and Onome Otite. The title 'We Gather' refers to the gathering of ideas, skills and emotions embedded within these craft practices. It is also a symbol of gratitude towards the communities who gathered their courage, bodies, and voices in support of justice for Black lives, which instigated deeper conversations between the UK’s Black makers and the Crafts Council.

In this talk, Lorna Hamilton-Brown discusses the techniques, processes, and symbolism behind her striking works. Using materials featured in the exhibition as discussion points, Lorna expands on issues raised in her seminal dissertation ‘Myth: Black People Don’t Knit - the importance of art and oral histories for documenting the experiences of black knitters’, which questions the lack of visibility of Black crafters and documents their hidden histories, written while undertaking her Masters’ Degree in Knitted Textiles from the Royal College of Art.

Find out more: https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/whats-on/we-gather-exhibition
See Lorna's work: https://www.lornahamiltonbrown.com/
Follow:  https://www.instagram.com/craftscouncil/ and https://www.instagram.com/lhamiltonbrown/
Subscribe: https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/subscribe


#makecraftlive #craftscouncilat50 #wegather