A Sorrowful Healing

: Experiences of the Troubles Seen through the Relationship Between Stitch as Fine Art, Sound and Word

Abstract

This thesis and my exhibition work A Sorrowful Healing act as witness documents of my experiences of the Troubles while living and working in Belfast from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s. They are motivated by the no-warning bomb explosion in which I believed I had died and which my investigation has revealed as a near death experience (NDE). The specific aims of this thesis are: to bear witness to my experiences of the Troubles; to discuss the nature of traumatic memory and how it manifests in my life and art; and to unpack the relationship between stitch, sound and word as my original contribution to stitch as fine art.

Methodologically, my work takes an autoethnographic approach to capture its personal motivation. To take my work beyond the confines of the personal, this is combined with a thorough review of artworks on the Troubles and those which have influenced my art practice as well as interviews with four artists.

By exploring how the experience of living in Northern Ireland during the Troubles can be conveyed through the relationship between stitch as fine art, sound and word, my work makes two major contributions to existing art and scholarship.

First, my artwork contributes to that of other artists who use stitch as a medium of fine art in relation to the topic of war. Investigating artists and poets who approached the Troubles during the period of the 1970s to 1990s, I identify three core themes in these works – ‘ silence’, ‘separation’ and ‘a siege mentality’ – and show how my own work, created from the experience of this period of the Troubles, but with the privilege of hindsight as to their moment of creation, transcends these themes to focus on the experience of war and its conveying to a wider audience.

My second major contribution consists in my combination of stitch, sound and poetic work which fills a gap regarding the aural side of stitch. Investigating artists whose practice combines stitch, word, sound and/or film, I assess where my work lies within that which already exists within the discipline, while also tracing how I uncovered the potential of stitch not only as visual but also as aural medium. Specifically, I show how, in my work, sound in conjunction with my poetry extends the meaning and scope of the stitched pieces, giving a holistic experience to exhibition visitors and other audiences.

The thesis has an online embargo due to inclusion of third party copyright material. Individual users may consult a pdf copy for research or private study and this can be requested via the Resource Discovery Team at: [email protected]

Date of Award	2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Aberystwyth University
Supervisor	Miranda Whall (Supervisor), Paul Croft (Supervisor) & Berit Bliesemann de Guevara (Supervisor)