Throughout human history, we have gathered together to weave, spin, knit and more and these community spaces have provided opportunities for sharing stories. Our brains have evolved to recognise the role of stories not just for entertainment purposes but for passing on wisdom, warnings and information necessary for navigating life. As people became skilled in the processes of making, so their actions became automated, allowing imaginations and narratives to develop.
The time spent with a garment can create a bond between it (an essentially inanimate object) and it’s wearer – a bond which reflects the value we invest in a favourite piece of clothing. It is a value not linked to money, but linked to the life we share with it.
My work explores the unconscious stories of our much loved clothes. Unconscious because they reflect daily unnoticed habits, traits and life style choices which appear in the wear and tear over time. I am interested in revealing these stories from the perspective of the garments. Visible mending is my way of acknowledging the lives they have lived and celebrating a life still to come.
If you wish to read the story of Tom’s Jumper, it’s on my website under the project called Storytelling through Stitching.
BA (Hons) Fine Art - Farnham 
Kaya McNamara | Fine Art
