Biophilia: an innate and genetically determined affinity of human beings with the natural world. (E.O. Wilson - biologist,)
Meredith Woolnough’s embroidered traceries map the frameworks of various veining systems found in nature, creating artwork that explores the balance, harmony and connectivity of life on earth. Her process begins with extensive fieldwork and research into her subjects, building up a deep understanding of their anatomy and morphology. This is then translated into a stitched drawing, which acts as a man-made specimen built from thread.
Meredith’s stitched specimens are drawn with a domestic sewing machine onto a fabric that dissolves in water. This unique fabric acts as a temporary surface for the drawing and is eventually washed away leaving the sculptural, stitched drawing behind. These sculptural drawings are then carefully pinned in shadowboxes like preserved specimens.
In Biophillia, Meredith explores the small and often overlooked veining systems found in leaves and coral. Some pieces in the collection take the form of large-scale studies of the systems within individual leaf or coral specimens, others are collections of hundreds of stitched leaves arranged in rhythmic forms. All of the works invite the viewer to look closer at nature and appreciate its delicate and robust beauty.
