In the future…
Lucy Newman
Artwork part of ‘Time’ (Issue 15)
The Artist
Lucy Newman is a Central St Martins graduate in Printed Textile Design. In 2017, she founded LJN STUDIO, focusing on commissioned hand embroidery that blends art and craft. Winning the Hand and Lock prize for embroidery in 2022, Lucy's works have also been spotlighted in Embroidery and Stitch Magazine. She is currently shortlisted for a Fine Art Textile Award by The Festival of Quilts and the Share prize, whose 2023 edition investigates the use of AI and its boundaries in the art world: Share Prize
The Science
This hand embroidered 'thread painting' was created in union with an AI image. The prompt given to DALL E was: ‘in the future what will flowers look like after nuclear mutation and exposure to pollution’. No specific chemical interaction or projection was designated beyond this instruction, therefore the result is all highly speculative and based upon a machine responding to a human, and then that human responding to the machine.
The Theme
This embroidery was hand sewn using cotton thread for over 300 hours. The colour choices were deliberate, reflecting the vibrancy of life amidst the foreboding presence of pollution. Each stitch seeks to signify nature's gradual evolution in harsh conditions, mirroring slow adaptations. It reminds us that profound shifts - in art or nature - demand time. Hand embroidery, a meticulous process, contrasts our hurried world. Through this medium, the piece not only visualises imagined future mutations but is also testament to the transformative power of time against the backdrop of rapid technological advancement.
Copyright statement. This work is published under the CC BY-NC-SA license