Party At Number Ten - The Story Behind The Art…
Party At Number Ten is my latest textile art drinks piece - yet to be published as a limited edition print… but it will be very soon. It is the first time I have created a piece relating to a scandal but this one, I just couldnt resist. The satire is of course directed at the controversial Partygate scandal and although it really is and was no laughing matter, the stories and anecdotes that emerged from the scandal were just too good not to immortalise in some way. In my mind, it was there for the taking!
I thought I would give a little more explanation behind some of the finer details and not so obvious references!
For those of you unfamiliar with my work, these pieces are created entirely from various forms of fabric and similar materials and the predominant technique involved is free motion machine embroidery and in this case, a little hand stitching here and there. Fabric is my paint and thread is my paintbrush…
Lets start from the beginning with this one…
Firstly the background. A blank drinks cabinet and the back ground is key. The pinstripe fabric is a nod to traditional minister attire. These were office parties after all, continuing from the working day! The green leather is a reference to the benches in the House of Commons - this wasn’t easy to find but I rather liked the connection even though the parties obviously weren’t held at HOC! (That we know of!)
As for the bottles themselves, many of the references are quite obvious, such as Hush Hush, Porkies, Boys Club and Player’s but the more subtle additions include the reference to the Abba Parties (Mamma Mia Merlot), and the Carrie Okee vermouth (a favoured tipple of Carrie Symonds I believe). Moon Shot could be interpreted as drink shots in the moonlight although its actually a reference to Covid and a global scientific project running during that time.
Bottles in progress - Each one has been handcrafted using an array of materials and textures.
You may notice the kisses on the Boys Club bourbon - this was my own little personal touch!!!
The cake was an essential addition, of course!! Remember those entertaining threads of news involving cake ambushes, the prime minister’s misery over not being able to eat his cake, and so on and so on.
I just love creating these quirky comical pieces and although this one felt a little risqué, it worked perfectly. It was fun and refreshing and allowed me to flex my creative muscles in an entirely different way to my usual work.
This piece will soon be available as a limited edition print - hopefully within the next few days. Prices will start from £115 for an unframed 45 x 45cm print. Please do get in touch if you’d like to reserve one in advance. The original in all its framing glory will be revealed sometime next week. It will be for sale at some point but I’d like to keep it on display in my studio for the current time.
Please click here if you’d like to see my previous drinks pieces…
In the meantime, I will get back to the seascapes and wait for another scandal to get my teeth stuck into…