Lissy Pepper BA (Hons) Textiles in Practice 2020

My work approaches the topic of mental health by using the green effect in my work. I take inspiration from the natural landscape in order to achieve work that is reflective of those qualities found in nature. I use meditative and repetitive processes such as knotting, beading, threading, stitching, to create work that inspires and relaxes the viewer, also aiding my own mental health.

My aim is to create beautifully organic tangible textures that replicate aspects found in the natural world, I've adopted a number of fabric manipulation techniques to sculpt my textile samples into forms that appear to be organically grown. An example of this is princess pleating, which I used to mock the textures found on the underside of mushrooms.

My intention is to make the viewer question whether the work is natural or manmade, by creating an artificial objects that looks entwined and at home within a living eco-system, blurring the line between life and inanimate objects. I hope to work on an installation for the physical degree show, the focus of which is on inducing the green effect on the viewer. This would be my own artificial environment, whose aim is to trigger those same feelings we have when in a natural setting, hopefully reducing anxieties, but doing so in an indoor non-natural environment.

My future prospects are to pursue a career within art therapy, whilst simultaneously continuing to be a freelance artist part-time. I want to help people through practicing art to help reduce anxieties and as a journey of self-exploration to benefit the participant's mental health. I too wish to keep on creating as a freelance artist, as practicing art aids my own mental health and well being.