This 10 metre long mixed media

banner hangs in the stairwell of the

Old Workhouse at St Mary's, Southampton.

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It was commissioned in 2018 to motivate and inspire students on Government led MEFL programmes.

 

Many of these students do not have English as their first language so I

wanted to create a bold, motivating,

visual piece, historically fitting to its 

location.

 

I created it out of calico to link contextually with store bags which were transported from floor to floor by a

pulley system from which the banner

now hangs. 

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I dyed and tie-dyed the calico to produce

a sail-like banner which gives the 

impression of clouds and also references 

Southampton's maritime links.

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The appliqued squares were sewn to the

banner using jute, the same material used 

to sew the calico bags in the Old Work-

house. I chose the colours as a motivat-

ing traffic light system - but without 

the red!

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