VACMA: Louise Barrington

"The VACMA has enabled me to successfully install a support system that can be use for creating suspended art works within my studio at WASPS in Stromness. This has allowed me to realised a large work that is suspended, using a variety of textiles techniques. I have been able to take my time applying, and consider different variations without being in the freezing cold, which was a major issue for me when finishing off previous works."

"The VACMA has allowed me to feel comfort when working as I have been able to modify my studio, instead of having to work in my Mums garage which is dirty as no amount of sweeping can clear the dust, and it can be extremely cold which means putting in many layers which is restricting when working. It also meant I had to take a lot of breaks just to keep warm, which interrupted the flow of working as it has been continuous stops and starts, which is very frustrating when working to a deadline.

This has given me options in how I applied the textiles within the work. I was able to experiment with different tapestry techniques within the two structures, without having to be concerned about keeping the textiles clean and able to spend more time weaving because I’m in my studio and it’s warm.

For future projects this allows me a lot more options within techniques and materials I can use without having to negotiate because of the dust and the cold. I am also able to experiment with work, and I was able to realise the idea for the Meet Make Collaborate exhibition for Inverness, which is two steel structures joined together with a long drop of threads."