Art Diploma Blog Ellie Fisher: Grayson Perry Comfort Blanket Graves Gallery Sheffield

From my visit to Sheffield I explored the Graves Gallery to study a permanent piece around the works of Grayson Perry’s Tapestries. I was excited to visit the gallery as I have never seen the artist’s work before and I was curious to see his tapestry works through a Textiles perspective. As he is one of my favourite leading contemporary artists it was important for me to observe the piece not only through my project but also my personal interest. The piece is called “Comfort Blanket” which explores the meaning to be British in modern society. It was created in 2014 and emphasises social concerns of society from identity, wealth and social classes. The piece also particularly highlights social issues faced in modern society and the topics regrading migration and belonging to the United Kingdom. The piece is shaped as a £10 form layout and uses national figures and the Queen in a positive manor to understand the social differences within society. Phrases, places, people, institutions, and national treasures dominate the piece and gives a personal perspective to how the artist feels about Britain being presented. As the layout is a colourful and striking piece, it can be seen as a positive layout but as you study further into the piece, like other works, dark meanings and messages are demonstrated. The study of this piece is useful towards my project as it explores the apsects of the working class society and the North and South divide which can cause conflictions between others. Also, the study reinforces my knowledge of the works he has created previously through my artist study as he has previously explored society through the point of men and a role they are presented. The “Comfort Blanket” provides a sense of reassurance to the nation and elements that make the United Kingdom happy. However, as you read into the piece through fonts and lettering dark elements are written into the blanket which gives a conflict impression about our socirty. Some people may believe that Perry is mocking our nation and society through the comments within the piece with figures such as “Top Gear”, “Corrie” and “Tea”. This stereotypical move can be seen as negative but I see it as a positive as Perry is conveying the truth and what we believe through how society is demonstrated. I find the striking truth humorous but also engaging to present his views of our society and what can be changed to move the stereotypical presented we have on others. As Grayson Perry also includes United Kingdom through Scottish and Welsh elements through the piece it can also reinforce the view of stereotyping and divide especially independence that Scotland is wanting to achieve. Through a Textiles perspective, I was amazed by the large scale Tapestry which was created within Photoshop and digitally created and embroided together. This technique was successful as it has allowed him to demonstrate accurate lettering through tones of thread and texture to make the piece stand out. Also, the piece is successful as he has used tones and shadows to create depth within the piece which makes it stand out and highlight intricate details and patterns. As the piece has no repetition or structure it creates a sense of chaos but this is an area that I like about the piece because I feel that Grayson Perry is wanting to fill as much information as he can about society which makes you want to read the piece further. The tapestry is most inspiring to me as I have previous influence of these displays from Miners’ Strike taken from exhibitions and museum visits and I believe that these will have a major impact towards my project outcome and display towards my final piece. As a tapestry is on display it presents a sense of pride, honour and community spirit and I believe that Grayson Perry is reinforcing this statement and concluding that different elements combined together make up our society and the United Kingdom together. The intricate surface pattern entices the viewers and reveals the subject matter beneath which is more challenging. Perry has used iconic pieces and traditional methods to connect to the audience to make the works understandable and convey his meaning across. As a fan of Grayson Perry’s work I was grateful to study his traditional works within a gallery environment but also see the scale of his works and messages he conveys in person. I was amazed by the intricate details, patterns and surfaces and I will continue to research the artist further towards my project outcome. The visit to the Graves Gallery will be influential towards my project development and give me the confidence through Textiles perspective to explore more techniques through embroidery and tapestry works. In conclusion, the visit has allowed me to visit has allowed me to use research analysis and evaluation to develop solutions towards my project outcome.