In July 2015 Dr Mark Lomax, musician, composer, educator and jazz drummer was searching the Internet for a review of his latest CD release and discovered the work of artist Mark Lomax. After initial introductions were made through email, the two decided to embark on a creative collaboration. Over the ensuing months a number of possible projects were discussed and common areas of interest explored.
Dr. Lomax’s work has a strong political and historical basis, exploring Black oppression and civil rights in America. He was looking for the means of developing a body of work that would explore the more positive aspects of society, In an early email he expressed that he was tired of creating music based on pain and anger and that it might be interesting in looking at a shared humanity.
My own work at this point had been looking at the use of domestic objects and artifacts as a means of triggering involuntary autobiographical memories. This work had led me to research areas of textile design and manufacture, which included, weaving, rug and carpet designs and motifs, knitted textiles and printed textile designs.
Whilst working on some weaving pieces I became interested in the social aspect of this and other crafts practiced worldwide, but for my purposes, specifically in the Highlands and Islands. It was at this point that our two worlds met.
The idea of the quilt as a social activity, it’s means of construction and it’s global significance as a clearly identifiable object with a strong history, multiple associations and its own symbols and language was the starting point we were looking for. The formal arrangement of the quilt, being the sum of all its parts, presented me with the perfect metaphor for representing society and the individual’s place within it. I also envisioned the possible idea that the structure of the quilt with its patterns, colours and rhythms might even serve as a musical score that might be played by a group of musicians.
Not only did the quilt represent the idea of community but in some practices materials were shared and quilts were “pieced” and assembled communally with groups of mainly, although not exclusively, women coming together socially to pass on skills and stories whilst producing quilts.
Through our continued email correspondence I became aware that my view on the subject had a marked euro-centric focus and in order to connect our two continents I felt the need to expand my point of reference to include the rich quilting traditions of America. Dr. Lomax referred me to the Underground Slave Railway and the quilting traditions of the Afro-American Slaves. This began a body of research and work exploring the slave trade and Britain’s dark history in this story of man’s inhumanity to his fellow man.
Mark Lomax 