No. 18 Fran Brammer “Machine embroidery inspired by the weathered surface of stones on the walls” 2024
Artist’s note:
“The stones in the walls are full of narrative, from their origins, their use, to the ongoing erosion. The contrasts and contradictions from this are fascinating.
The work is layers of organzas and silks, pulled, distorted, cut and torn before stitching to create textured surfaces. The freehand machining allows the fabric to move in any direction to follow the shapes and patterns in the cut surfaces of the stone.
This was a wonderful commission to do. The stones proved a very fertile inspiration, encouraging experimentation in fabric, textures and process.”
To contact Fran:
Email: franbramm@gmail.com
FoYW’s note:
Nearly all the stone the city walls are built of is magnesian limestone but it is very variable in appearance. The same quarry can produce different looking stone. As a result one stone can look very different from its neighbours, very occasionally such a stone is a gritstone, laid down in a river delta, not magnesian limestone laid down in a shallow sea. Perhaps repairs and re-use of stone has led to some dissimilar neighbours. Sometimes a stone will show that a mason cut a square hole in it, this hole may have been filled with a replacement stone, the hole may have been used to fix some wood structure into this stone –either in its current position or when it was used in some other wall.
The artist owns the copyright for this work. Non-commercial use of this image is permitted provided that the artist is credited.
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Posted February 2026 AF
