Finalist

The hand embroidery of Amy Turner, a 2024 graduate of the Royal School of Needlework, captures the fragility of health and exploration of the grotesque through her use of beautiful and delicate materials.

Pestilence explores disease, mainly the Bubonic Plague, and the physical effects it has on the human body. Pestilence brings beauty to something that goes undiscussed because it is seen as ‘ugly’, ‘disturbing’ or ‘distressing’ by others. Amy has taken her inspiration from visits to the Hunterian Museum,

The Wellcome Collection and The Old Operating Theatre Museum, as well as antique anatomy art, medieval depictions of disease and how the plague has been depicted in popular culture.

Pestilence explores disease, mainly the Bubonic Plague, and the physical effects it has on the human body. Pestilence brings beauty to something that goes undiscussed because it is seen as ‘ugly’, ‘disturbing’ or ‘distressing’ by others. Amy has taken inspiration from visits to the Hunterian Museum, The Wellcome Collection and The Old Operating Theatre Museum, as well as antique anatomy art, medieval depictions of disease and how the plague has been depicted in popular culture. Amy’s piece embraces both the ‘beautiful’ and ‘dainty’ and the ‘macabre’. Using her traditional hand embroidery skills in a contemporary context, she applies goldwork, raised work and tambour techniques, to depict the realistic effects of disease; taking these traditionally beautiful materials and turning them into something gory and grotesque. Each hand embroidered pustule has been stuffed with lavender, chosen because it was one of the dried herbs used by plague doctors to cure ‘miasma’ or ‘bad air’. Amy wanted to create a juxtaposition between the unpleasant subject matter and the nostalgic floral scent of the lavender. The dress is made from wool delaine, with a cotton lining, and has been hand-dyed to create a mottled effect. The torn fabric around the embroidered pustules creates the effect of layers of skin. As the fabric is distressed, the idea is that it will become more distressed over time and continue to fray. The dress is accompanied by three crocheted and hand-embroidered black rats. Amy wants to challenge the viewer, making them consider how they respond to the uncomfortable or difficult elements of life and see the hidden realities. She hopes that Pestilence will make the audience question the traditional use of embroidery and to reflect more deeply on their own natural assumptions.