Life's Rich Tapestry

Newnham College has commissioned artist Jilly Edwards to create a work for the new Dorothy Garrod Building, a new courtyard building bringing together student rooms, research offices and social space. The resultant pieces are a subtle exploration of the rhythms of College life, with its mixture of vibrancy and detail.

Jilly Edwards, whose fluid, complex pieces are worked in woven tapestry, is known for her subtle evocation of place. Her own personal response to a location is integral to the pieces she creates. Jilly uses journals to gestate her work, uniting reflections in writing, sketches, and found objects. The journal for this commission is a fascinating account of an artist’s view of the College, and the creative process itself.

Through her sketches, the journal begins to build up blocks of colour that reflect the College: “College colours / movement and flow / rhythm and beat,” she writes, with the first influx of grey, gold, white and blue. It is the College scarf shaken out and reimagined, or the sky and buildings run together. The colours appear and transform themselves in sketch after sketch, exploring the setting of the College, its purpose and details. Subtle gradations of colour develop, alongside a vertical rhythm that recalls the strong lines of the Dorothy Garrod Building that would house the completed works.

Article originally published here.

Jilly will be giving a talk at our next Selvedge Social on 26 June alongside Celia Joycey, entitled Life's Rich Tapestry. The talk will take place at The Gradidge Room, The Artworkers Guild, 6 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AT. For more information and to book your place, click here.

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