The Power Of No

The visual composition centres on a woman mid-scream. Her mouth is open in pain and resistance; her eyes are shut tight. Her hair is wild and disordered, some strands forming ropes — a direct visual of restriction and control. Within these ropes, the word “No” is stitched repeatedly, tangled into the very structure of the image.

The contrast between visual force and material control was central to the idea. The screaming face is stitched in greyscale to anchor the viewer’s attention, while the rope-hair and text elements are worked in green, gold, and teal — referencing both Medusa’s snakes and visual defiance. Nothing is calm or decorative here. Every shape resists.

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Initial plans included goldwork elements and flat stitch combinations, but the texture proved insufficient. The solution came through sampling: replacing metal threads with tightly blended floss, substituting French bullion with directional layering, and shifting the balance from polished surface to tensioned threadwork.

These trials helped define what each zone of the design should do — emotionally and technically. Some areas needed compression, others volume. Contrast was created not through sparkle or excess, but through directional force and controlled density.

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The embroidery is stitched directly onto the corset, not applied separately. I used a combination of tambour technique and hand-raised padding, with thread- and felt-based structures to create dimension. Relief is achieved through layers of tightly worked stitches and varied padding — some areas are built up to stand off the surface, while others remain flat and compressed.

The rope-like forms and the stitched “No” motifs are integrated into the overall composition, not added as separate design zones. The challenge was to make even the most dimensional elements feel like part of the same drawing — not like appliqué or collage.

The embroidery is concentrated entirely on the back. The front remains minimal — a plain lacing structure with no decoration. All expression sits behind the wearer, where it can’t be ignored. That placement wasn’t symbolic — it was deliberate.