Some inspiration for 'Maindee Stories' - Grayson Perry's 'The Vanity of Small Differences'

31st March 2016

I gave a talk about a new project and gathered ideas from an interfaith women's crafting group called 'Coffee 'n' Laughs who are based in Maindee, Newport. Maindee is the most ethnically diverse area in South Wales. My project was called ‘Maindee Stories – The Fabric Of Our Lives', and when it was completed it won an EPIC Award for Wales! The women are from Algeria, Bangladesh, Somali, Mauritius and Pakistan with a love of textile arts and crafts.

Many artists have inspired my research for the project. Grayson Perry was one of many.  I saw his Channel 4 Documentary: ‘All in the Best Possible Taste’ and was fascinated by what people have on display in their homes influenced by socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.

Perry describes his TV series as a ‘safari of taste and style,’ and asks:
Do the things we own define us, and to what extent?
What do the things that we have in our homes say about us?
Notions of class and style – are they linked, where do they come from?
Does ‘social mobility’ still exist these days?

The research from ‘All in the best possible taste’ culminated in the production of a series of large scale, digitally produced tapestries which took the story behind Hogarth's 'A Rake's Progress' but gives it a modern day twist. There's a character called 'Tim' (instead of Tom) who unlike his historical counterpart, becomes socially and economically mobile instead of inheriting a fortune from his miserly father – but then follows a path to destruction through over consumption of luxury goods.  Basically, the message in the work says, "excess can only lead to no good." 
Whilst I started planning for 'Maindee Stories' I began to watch Grayson Perry's 'All Man' series, which is also highly recommended.

An inspirational trip to see the exhibition with the group is definitely on the cards.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/in-the-best-possible-taste-grayson-perry

http://www.victoriagal.org.uk/visit Grayson Perry's exhibition 'The Vanity of Small Differences' is on tour and is at The Victoria Gallery, Bath until 10th April.

Hogarth's 'A Rake's Progress 
This collection of paintings can be found at one of my favourite museums, The John Soane Museum, London.
http://www.soane.org/collections-research/key-stories/rakes-progress
http://www.soane.org