Patricia Casey

In 2007 I began printing photographic montages on materials such as georgette or watercolour paper and more recently on archival cotton. I then embroider specific areas of the image plane with cotton or metallic threads.
The act of working with a needle and thread transforms my hands into instruments of memory, as muscle memory and the rhythm of the repetitive nature of the work itself takes over. There is a meditative quality to the production as the hands have a certain tacit knowing and can continue to work while the mind contemplates.
Murmur is the most heavily embroidered of my work to date, with the metallic threads glittering and dancing across the surface of the photographic elements. My practice requires patience and a stillness of mind. This translates into the work to produce images that draw the viewer ever close to examine the complexity of not only the artworks themselves, but also the marks made with the needle and thread on the fabric and the detailed tiny stitches I use in my work.
I question the veracity of photography. It is intrinsically linked with memory and nostalgia. It is an unreliable medium in relation to ‘truth’. With my work I draw attention to the fragile, slippery nature of memory itself. My photographs are often out of focus or manipulated.