Emma Yorke
Tales from the Life Place: in what ways can contemporary fibre arts practices be understood to be ‘telling tales’ of extinction and ecological collapse?
MA Arts & Place Dissertation, Dartington Arts School, 2023
Drawing on investigations in tapestry and loom weaving, considerations of the ecological footprint of different wools and fibres and a curiosity about how makers are striving to 'live well' in awareness of extinction and ecological collapse narratives, this study explores the ways in which fibre arts practices can be understood to be ‘telling tales’ of extinction and ecological collapse.
Presenting findings from desk and primary research, the essay discusses both the implicit nature of this storytelling as it can be read through the materiality of the fibres, and the explicit nature, as it is articulated by the practices of the fibre artists. The study finds that the value of fibre arts practices lies not only in their potential to tell tales not only of extinction and ecological collapse but also of regeneration and care for human and more-than-human communities.
Please contact me if you would like a copy of the dissertation or you may want to watch this short film of me presenting the key findings of the study at the University of Plymouth Post-Graduate Forum event in January 2023:
