Once I understood that I couldn’t merrily print lyrics onto cloth to use for this piece I had to have a rethink. One of the lyrics I had been going to use was from a song called Scattered Black and Whites by Elbow. It is a song about memories of home and how we turn to them for comfort. Or at least that’s what I think it is about. Scattered black and whites refers to photos but I think it could just as easily refer to lyrics. There are songs which will forever be associated with moments in my life. Hearing those songs brings all the emotions associated with those moments back to the surface. My CD collection contains fragments of joy, of sadness, of calm and of rage. 

But how to give a sense of this? How to include lyrics without infringing copyright? Go straight to the source. Luckily I have a home grown one – my daughter Jess and her band Vital Idles. On Boxing Day I gave her a pen and asked her to write on fabric that I had printed. I didn’t pick the lyrics, she did. I cut ‘CD’s from the fabric fragmenting the lyrics, obscuring their meaning. Many of the words are illegible but one is clear.

Home.

Completely unintended; beyond perfect. Thank you Jess x.

Scattered Black and Whites.

30 x 20 inches.

Breakdown printed fabric, fused applique, layered and machine stitched.