Alice Kettle - Allegory

until 13 March 2010

Alice Kettle's recent embroidery combines sensitivity with scale.  Her keenly anticipated exhibition for the Crafts Study Centre reflects an abiding interest int he way that narrative can be expressed through the medium of machine-worked embroidery, both in large wall hangings and in a series of private and symbolic three-dimensional works, using a restrained monochrome palette as well as more vibrant colours.  It is in this work that the theme of allegory is explicitly presented.  Alice's recent interest in working in partnership with other artists is also revealed in the exhibition, with the presentation of collaborative pieces with the potter Stephen Dixon, her colleague at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The exhibition takes as its starting point the great painting by Poussin A Dance to the Music of Time in The Wallace Collection, London. Alice Kettle brings her formidable skill, and a dramatic, painterly sense of colour and narrative to bear on this painting to create a remarkable sequence of machine-embroidered works. The centrepiece of the exhibition is the large panel Pause with its very personal depiction of the artist and her daughters, using fragments of her mother's dresses. The commanding figure of the Head of Janus is also present in this work, and it is echoed by a new ceramic piece by Stephen Dixon, made during his residency at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Kettle and Dixon have also collaborated on other works in the show, including an artist's book.

The exhibition includes work for sale and will embark on a tour of UK museums and art centres until the spring 2011. An illustrated book has been published by the Crafts Study Centre to accompany the exhibition, priced £7.99.

Allegory: the symposium

Alice Kettle and Stephen Dixon
Wednesday 3 March 2010
 4.00pm to 5.30pm

Tickets must be booked in advance from the Crafts Study Centre, £5.00

Alice Kettle and Stephen Dixon discuss the aspirations behind the exhibition, their response to the theme of Allegory, and the particular issues involved in working collaboratively on an exhibition project.