Fleur Webb
Hand EMbroidery
Royal School of Needlework
Graduates: 2024
Specialisms: Embroidery / Textile Innovation/Textile Art / Contemporary Craft
My location: London, United Kingdom
Fleur Webb
First Name: Fleur
Last Name: Webb
University / College: Royal School of Needlework
Course / Program: Hand EMbroidery
Graduates: 2024
Specialisms: Embroidery / Textile Innovation/Textile Art / Contemporary Craft
My Location: London, United Kingdom
Website: Click To See Website
About
For as long as I can remember my hand embroidery practice has explored contrasting elements of beauty, femininity and vulgarity. I delve into the contemporary and controversial with keen interest, often conducting social commentary through my mixed media stitching. I established these beliefs on the grounds of rebelling against traditional beauty standards asking the question: who truly defines what is beautiful or vulgar? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and vulgarity is no different. I have therefore gained an amount of satisfaction in attempting to advocate, radiate and create both beauty and vulgarity in the way I know best: hand embroidery. Embroidering beautifully meaningful pieces with a balance of both physical and internal beauty is where you’ll find me at my happiest. My inspiration derives from nature and the organic forms it provides in both botanical and human anatomy, combined with otherworldly surrealism. This influence is credited to my connection with the natural world through my hometown in the New Forest, Hampshire; where both sea and earth collide.
The Midnight Zone is my latest collection of wearable art as part of my final year project at the Royal School of Needlework hand embroidery degree. I have drawn inspiration from the deep sea, specifically the Midnight Zone or the Bathypelagic layer which lays at 1,000-4,000 meters below the surface. For this collection I have been heavily concept led, with the determination of materials and processes being finalised through sampling and drawing the creatures of the deep. My aim for this collection was to produce a highly detailed piece of wearable art which radiates beauty but invokes a sense of danger and intimidation in the viewer; I would like people to react how I did while researching and drawing these breath-taking creatures: with awe and a hint of unease toward their alien-like nature. Thalassophobia is the centre piece of The Midnight Zone. This piece of wearable art collates gold work and raised work embroidery, with elements of tambour used throughout. With the decadence of goldwork and tambour techniques and the structure raised work embroidery provides, this adornment investigates the beauty, fear and unknown of the deep-sea in a way science cannot, through artistic, contemporary hand embroidery. Wearable art statement jewellery piece displayed over a sheer layered slip dress. Thalassophobia is the fear of deep water. This piece was selected as one of the twenty-four finalists for the Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery 2024. All photographs are taken by me unless stated otherwise. © Fleur Webb May 2024