HUMAN TOUCH exhibition at Sotheby's in London

The HUMAN TOUCH exhibition at Sotheby's held in early March showcased the incredible connection between designers and makers.

Framed wall hanging above: Art Makes People Powerful, 2019, is designed by Bob and Roberta Smith

Dimensions: 138 by 138cm

The piece of canvaswork (also known as needlepoint) was stitched in one prison by a single stitcher who used crewel wool to stitch in basketweave tent stite, a diagonal stitch which is used for its strength, evenness and structure.

HUMAN TOUCH was a ground-breaking collaboration between eight international contemporary artists and Fine Cell Work a charity that trains and works with prisoners in Britain, transferring their cells into embroidery workshops.

This unique project joining celebrated artists with stitchers in prison cells resulted in eight unique works of art for the exhibition at Sotheby's 26th February to 3rd March 2020 and sold by Fine Cell  Work.

The contemporary artists involved in this project were Ai Weiwei, Idris Khan, Carolina Mazzolari, Annie Morris, Cornelia Parker, Bob and Roberta Smith, Wolfgang Tillmans and Francis Upritchard.

Francis Upritchard's The Artists, Paravent with upholstered silk panels (176 x 149 cm)

The colour images were screen-printed onto handwoven silk and then hand-embroidered using stranded cotton in a wide selection of shades.  The stitches were imspired by the Bayeux Tapestry (technically an embroidery, not a tapestry) and include laid work, stem stitch, satin stich, couching, back stitch, raised chain band, detached chain stitch, French knots, buttonhole bars and double knot stitch.  The embroidered silk was professionally upholstered into the paravent, which was designed and constructed by Martino Gamper.

British designer Cath Kidston, Chair of Human Touch and Trustee of Fine Cell Work said in the programme introduction that the pieces were started from discussions with each artist with the understanding of the restrictions of stitching in prison.  The artists selected their base cloths and small sections were sent into some of the cell groups in prison to be sampled based on their specifications.  The artists then made recommendations or changes before each work was put into full production in prisons across the country.  As the work returned from prison, the emotional connection between the artists and the stitchers became obvious and can be seen through the craftsmanship.  

Ai Weiwei's piece was a quilt called Odyssey.

The monochrome piece consists of 28 embroidered panels, plus plan panels joined together in a variation of a Log cabin style quilt.  The topic is powerful, as it is about refugees, about Human Flow, according to the artist.  The embroidered panels were digitally printed and then stitched in stranded cotton using a variety of different stitches (stem, chain, open chain, detached chain, back and whipped back stitch plus French knots).

Ai Weiwei was so impressed with the results that he wrote personally to each of the 13 stitchers who worked on his piece to thank them for their contribution.

Idris Khan was so impressed with the stitcher's work that he chose to embroider his signature rather than marking with pen.

His design is called Numbers - a hand-sewn photograph presented as a framed wall-hanging of 180 x 180 cm.  The design was digitally printed on heavy linen with embroidered embellishments.

A single stitcher used a combination of darning stitch, Kantha stitch, seeding and irregular running stitch.

He also used black stranded and perle cotton in different weights to convey the subtle variations in shade and line.

All proceeds from the sale of the work were to go directly to the Fine Cell  Work, enabling the charity to provide more creative, paid needlework to the stitchers and enable them to build independent crime-free lives.

Sotheby's is located 34-35 New Bond Street, London W1S 2RT, UK

Photos by Lucia Carpio.