Patchwork Object

Items

• Patch by Joanne
  My creative identity began in Bovey Tracey, Devon. I have always collected old shards of pottery from the garden, the river and the sea. I am now an artist, and I recycle my porcelain shard collections into mosaic maps. Mosaic is an ancient art used for storytelling. Working in mosaic using China shards allows me to record the past stories the diverse broken ceramic pieces can tell, much like a museum would, but in an assemblage - like a patchwork. The story of each shard evokes a reminiscence of the domesticity of women’s lives gone by. To me each shard carries a spirituality which still prevails, despite their eroded lives. But these shards do escape the mundane, after being practical, cherished, broken, and thrown away the sea smooths and holds them ready for rescue. My patch includes a small found shard of Royal Doulton porcelain which is called ‘Rouen’ and would have been part of a Victorian dinnerware set. This crockery would have been brought to New Zealand or imported by early settlers over a century ago, and I have found it in Auckland. I am completing its journey and sending it back to the UK to be involved in a new life as part of a patchwork dedicated to women’s creativity. 2x patches enclosed. 1. Shard of pottery – sewing into a patch (story above) 2. Old Great Western Railway milk delivery label – coated with mod podge glue to protect it and sewn onto a patch – to preserve because I’d like to preserve this find (!)
• Patch by Joanne
  My creative identity began in Bovey Tracey, Devon. I have always collected old shards of pottery from the garden, the river and the sea. I am now an artist, and I recycle my porcelain shard collections into mosaic maps. Mosaic is an ancient art used for storytelling. Working in mosaic using China shards allows me to record the past stories the diverse broken ceramic pieces can tell, much like a museum would, but in an assemblage - like a patchwork. The story of each shard evokes a reminiscence of the domesticity of women’s lives gone by. To me each shard carries a spirituality which still prevails, despite their eroded lives. But these shards do escape the mundane, after being practical, cherished, broken, and thrown away the sea smooths and holds them ready for rescue. My patch includes a small found shard of Royal Doulton porcelain which is called ‘Rouen’ and would have been part of a Victorian dinnerware set. This crockery would have been brought to New Zealand or imported by early settlers over a century ago, and I have found it in Auckland. I am completing its journey and sending it back to the UK to be involved in a new life as part of a patchwork dedicated to women’s creativity. 2x patches enclosed. 1. Shard of pottery – sewing into a patch (story above) 2. Old Great Western Railway milk delivery label – coated with mod podge glue to protect it and sewn onto a patch – to preserve because I’d like to preserve this find (!)