Manchester
School of Art
MA Show
2013
Fri 27 September —
Sun 13 October
10.00—16.00hrs
An exhibition of work
by postgraduate
students of —
- Architecture & Urbanism
- Art As Environment
- Design
- Design & Art Direction
- Filmmaking
- Fine Art
- Landscape Architecture
- Media Arts
- Photography
- Textiles
- Three Dimensional Design
- Visual Culture
Chloe Hamill
Chloe Hamill plays on the connotations of material and imagery to express the stories of individuals who might otherwise go unheard. The pieces of work are not stand-alone; rather, these tangible objects are intended to trigger discussion and thus raise social consciousness through their participatory nature.
Her current body of work consists of personal experiences inscribed into the soles of shoes, arranged to display the current demographics of individuals sold into sex trafficking. Through this, not only does the work attempt to evoke empathy, by calling to mind the idiom 'to walk in someone else's shoes', but also utilises the homophone pair of 'sole' and 'soul'. This is occurring alongside an installation of real butterflies that can be walked upon, forcing the audience to question their involvement in the issues that affect our society today.
The project derived from the artist's experience of working with survivors of sex trafficking in Bangalore, India, teaching embroidery. Engaging and collaborating with the public is another important element to the artist's practice. Chloe Hamill has worked with Rainbow Haven, a drop in centre for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, and as a member of Manchester Aid to Kosovo formed Sister Stitch with widowed women and their families. Her work is currently part of Textile Too at the Whitworth Art Gallery and the artist recently exhibited at the People's History Museum, Manchester.
