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Hand & Lock winners 2023

Hand & Lock winners 2023

December 6, 2023
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The annual Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery was established in 2000 to promote the fine art of embroidery. It is now a global competition with entries from over 40 different countries. Providing aspiring embroidery students and designers an opportunity to showcase their talents and gain vital exposure and experience.

In recent years it has been expanded to include textile artists, interior and accessory designers as well as those working in fashion. The competition strives to highlight the exquisite craftsmanship and skill that goes into this intricate craft and bring together the whole embroidery community to celebrate.


Image: Juhannas by Kristina Sinclair, winner of 2023 The Wilcom Associate Award for Digital Embroidery. Image above: I Shop, Therefore I Am by Katie Tubbing.

Kristina Sinclair won this year's The Wilcom Associate Award for Digital Embroidery - Textile Art Category with Juhannus. Kristina’s project is inspired by Juhannus (Finnish Midsummer), a day when the veil is thinnest, suffused with potent magic. It is a day of festivities, a day of sun-worship, of reverence in nature, of costume – a day that celebrates the coming together of people to worship endless light in order to brace themselves against the returning dark.

Weaving crowns from flowers and placing them on each other’s heads invites the power of nature to grant strength to the wearer and steel themselves for the dark winter, each flower carrying its own power and meaning. The performance draws from these rituals and traditions, showing flower crowns as ritualistic uniform, sacramental wear. The piece consists of an embroidery triptych displaying a Juhannus celebrant and an accompanying animation depicting its creation through a ritualist dressing performance. The process of adorning one-self in the garb of ritual, as well as the meticulous, intricate creation of the costume is ritualistic and meditative in and of itself. The neon represents the sun on this special night, a never ending glow and vividness, and the repetition of the dance between light and dark is reflected in the endless cycle of animation.


Image: Essence Unveiled: A Journey of Revelation by Young Kim, winner of the 2023 Royal School of Needlework Associate Award for Innovation and Technical Excellence in Hand Embroidery.

Originating from Seoul, South Korea, Jiyoung Kim is a versatile artist whose innovative use of traditional textile methods thrusts her into the world of three-dimensional embroidery. At the heart of her creative exploration lies a deep fascination with “the gap” — the nuanced balance between stability and deviation. This interplay provides viewers with a lens to contemplate their personal journeys of stability and change.

Jiyoung’s pieces materialise through the intricate interplay of fabric and artistry. Layered textures, patterns, and materials converge, reflecting the delicate dance between opposing forces. The inherent flexibility of fabric transforms into a visual emblem, evoking tension and unwavering focus.

By pushing past conventional artistic boundaries, Jiyoung embraces dynamic embroidery to reshape established forms and structures. This audacious departure from tradition beckons fresh perspectives and challenges to the status quo, igniting innovative thinking and inviting individuals to weave designs intricately tied to personal resonance.

This creative odyssey merges aesthetics with introspection, encapsulating the essence of equilibrium and transformation. Beyond visual appeal, Jiyoung’s work ignites profound contemplation. As viewers engage with her art, they embark on a journey beyond convention, crafting designs that profoundly resonate within their own narratives.


Image: The Time Lace Dress by Yanis Miltgen, winner of The Design Trusts People's Choice Award Winner.

The 2024 Hand & Lock prize asks entrants to consider transformations. As we transition from the past into our future selves, what layers and fragments of our past still shine through?

Some fear change while others embrace it. Change, transformation, evolution and adaptation are all essential to our individual and collective well-being. Through self-improvement, education and our environment each of us emerges renewed each day.

Transformation is all around us from the ever-changing technology we carry in our pockets to the changing view from our window. Some societal transformation demonstrates progress but other changes can demonstrate a growing threat.

The boiling-point discourse around free speech, the increasing carbon in the atmosphere, the slow decline of craftsmanship. These changes threaten our survival and quality of life.

But in response to negative change, there is reason to be joyful too; across the world, Millennials and Gen Z are increasingly motivated by social justice and care deeply for the environment. As they assume positions of power and responsibility, the priorities of our governments and global organisations change to reflect their concerns.

In 2024 The Hand & Lock Prize asks you to consider cultural and personal transformation. Visualise multiple changes, layered upon one another representing progress and decline, innovation and inertia. Combine personal optimism with collective fears and consider how these might be connected.

Find out more about the Hand & Lock Prize and register your interest:
handembroidery.com
@handandlocklondon
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