Artist's statement

My initial training was in science, working in a veterinary research laboratory for many years. I believe this started my fascination with the micro and the macro - I am initially drawn to the outward appearance of an object or image, then immediately want to investigate closer. Once enlarged through a microscope, the minutiae change scale, become powerful, altering my perception of the original. I am seduced by pattern, colour and form, but ultimately I want to find out what lies beneath that. The use of repetition is inspired in part from observing nature, but also from my subsequent training as a textile designer working in multiple modular units.

In 1994 I developed a hybrid practice of art and science by using fruit fermentation to colour and pattern my cloth. The bacteria and moulds produced by the rotting fruit ferment over several months, staining the cloth with natural dyes and leaving ghostly patterns of the fruit behind. The silks are then further embellished by hand.

Since 2002, I have worked with other scientists and used scientific technology to inform my work. In recent works, photomicrographs taken with the Scanning Electron Microscope are manipulated via the computer to produce new compositions that are digitally printed onto cloth.

The recurring theme in my work is to challenge perceptions of the dichotomies between chaos and control, perfection and imperfection - questioning concepts of beauty and veracity. I search for the power of transformation inherent in all materials, and I work with textiles because they possess unlimited potential.