MA Craft & Textiles Final Exhibition at the University of Brighton
From 9–16 July 2022, I presented my final MA Textiles project at the University of Brighton’s postgraduate exhibition at Grand Parade. The exhibition brought together graduating students’ work, offering the public an opportunity to explore the research, experimentation and finished outcomes developed during their studies. It formed part of the university’s Summer Shows, which returned to in-person exhibitions in 2022 following two years of online presentations during the pandemic.
For my contribution, I presented a contemporary interpretation of traditional Russian pearl setting, exploring its potential within clothing design. The display included a white jacket with an asymmetric, hand-embroidered collar, alongside experimental samples, and an explanation of the research behind the piece.
Reinterpreting traditional pearl setting
My MA research explored how a heritage embroidery technique could develop through experimentation with materials while retaining its traditional method of construction. Russian pearl setting provided the starting point for an investigation into the relationship between cultural heritage, contemporary textiles and personal expression.
The project asked how this craft could become part of a contemporary wardrobe and communicate ideas relevant to the present. Material experiments informed a capsule collection of three jacket samples, translating the research into wearable garments. The embroidered collar became a focal point, bringing the texture and detail of the hand embroidery into direct conversation with the shape of the clothing.
Presented together, the samples and finished jacket allowed visitors to trace the development of the project. Small experiments revealed different possibilities for the embroidered surface, while the garment demonstrated how those discoveries could be applied at the scale of the body.
Embroidery as a form of expression
The project also carried a political and personal meaning. It responded to the treatment of women protesting against the Russian regime, with the jackets conceived as symbolic armour for those speaking out about their country’s future.
The asymmetric collar pointed towards the heart. Its composition drew on Mediatrix iconography and the visual language of El Lissitzky’s poster Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge. The white-blue-white palette referred to the alternative Russian flag adopted by the resistance movement.
These references connected the garment’s appearance with the ideas behind it. Traditional pearl setting became a means of expressing solidarity and considering how inherited craft knowledge can contribute to new forms of cultural and political expression.
Sharing the final project
The exhibition placed my embroidery alongside a varied collection of textile and craft projects, including woven fabrics, ceramics and sculptural objects. Research displays accompanied the finished pieces, giving visitors an insight into the questions and material investigations that shaped each project.
For my own presentation, this format brought the different strands of the MA together: historical research, practical experimentation, garment design and the social context behind the work. The photographs and video below document the exhibition and the presentation of my final project.
