Helen is a knit, crochet and embroidery artist based in Lancashire. She uses traditionally ‘feminine’ crafts to make bright, loud work that focuses on themes of mental health and identity, from a leftist, feminist viewpoint. Most recently, Helen has been making wearable art – lavish and decorative garments and masks, using intarsia techniques and embellishments to illustrate a narrative.
Helen has always been interested in the intersection between craft and fine art, especially the connotations of needle crafts as women’s work, and of lower value, as a means to make functional items for the home. She wants her knitted pieces to be as intricate, bold and beautiful as possible. Helen also embraces the history of knitting as a subversive and political practice.
Mental health and anger are strong themes in Helen’s work, particularly her own experiences with anxiety and unhappiness. While addressing very personal and delicate subjects, Helen wants her work to be humorous, brash and vibrant. She also frequently explores political and social subjects, exploring the relationships between social instability and inner turmoil.
Helen’s work also takes inspiration from drag and costume, simultaneously decorating and hiding the body and face.
