Lucy Newman

My intention with this submission is to imagine a future of florals that have been distorted and mutated after thousands of years of exposure to pollutants and technical glitches. I see myself in the shadow of Audubon, the great botanical illustrators and scientists of the past. In this vision I am imagining a nuclear wasteland, a dystopian future in which we no longer have the regular tools to observe and record the new specimens we find.

We have forgotten watercolours and pen and ink, these traditional tools have been replaced with strands of cotton and old scraps of fabric. In these three embroidered works the natural world is fused with the technological and makes glitches and distortions. I intend to present 3 large scale works on canvas or as part of a deconstructed sketch book, they will each show a study of a mutated floral bouquet. I will primarily use thread painting and French knots but I may add other techniques such as appliqué and beading.