{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1778264"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1778264/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2024NW5604/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2024NW5604/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2024NW5604","copyright":" © Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NV1845","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NW5605","copyright":" © Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NW5606","copyright":" © Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NW5607","copyright":" © Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NW5608","copyright":" © Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NW5609","copyright":" © Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NW5611","copyright":" © Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NW5613","copyright":" © Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NW5614","copyright":" © Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NW5612","copyright":" © Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NW5615","copyright":" © Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NW5616","copyright":" © Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NW5617","copyright":" © Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1778264","accessionNumber":"T.64-2024","objectType":"Textile artwork","titles":[{"title":"Blue and Black","type":"assigned by artist"},{"title":"In the Midst of the Crowd","type":"series title"}],"summaryDescription":"Following training as an artist, Alice Kettle began to evolve her highly distinctive and personalised free, machine-stitched style from the late 1980s. Using a traditional mechanical sewing machine, which has served her since the start of her practice, Kettle raises the presser foot to distort the machine’s tensioned, regular stitches and to allow freedom to move the fabric in any direction to 'draw' more freely. Much of the stitching is done from the back of the canvas. A variety of lines and textures are achieved by using many different types of thread and by pulling the fabric through at different speeds. Cross hatching and solid colour are created by stitching repeatedly across the same area. The freely drawn line of white thread, loosely held to the surface of the canvas by slack loops of the top thread, can be likened to a draughtsperson’s pen outlining the figures. \r\nHer subjects can be considered within the long history of narrative textile works, which include tapestry and fine embroidery. Compositions often reference mythology and age-old human stories such as war, immigration, and voyage. The figures convey complex human emotions through a sense of tenderness and gesture. \r\n\r\n","physicalDescription":"Textile artwork depicting three figures, with a further figure behind, black linen ground with machine stich embroidery, digital machine stitch embroidery, appliqué and hand stitch","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Kettle, Alice","id":"AUTH402757"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[{"text":"machine embroidery","id":"x32585"},{"text":"hand embroidery","id":"x30339"},{"text":"appliqué","id":"AAT53646"},{"text":"","id":""},{"text":"","id":""}],"materialsAndTechniques":"This work is created by using a variety of stitching techniques including machine-embroidery. The upper right background section of red repeat patterned stitch is achieved by scanning an old textile, reworking the pattern, shrinking and enlarging parts of it and cutting and pasting it in a collage-like way. The resulting design is digitally stitched onto the linen canvas. In the top left and bottom right are patchworked areas of gold embroidery, cut up and reused from Kettle's earlier works. Like many of her recent works which include contribution from refugee stitchers, the appliqué motifs in 'Blue and Black' are the creation of women refugees Kettle met through an earlier creative collaborative project. The three main figures are 'drawn' with a distorted machine stitch, particular to Kettle's practice. Much of the work is done from the back of the canvas.\n\n","categories":[],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&F","id":"THES48601"},"images":["2024NW5604","2024NV1845","2024NW5605","2024NW5606","2024NW5607","2024NW5608","2024NW5609","2024NW5611","2024NW5613","2024NW5614","2024NW5612","2024NW5615","2024NW5616","2024NW5617"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"B","id":"THES304758"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Textile artwork","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"United Kingdom","id":"x29336"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"2024","earliest":"2024-01-01","latest":"2024-12-31"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"130","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"126","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"'Blue and Black', textile artwork, Alice Kettle, 2024, embroidered thread on linen","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"Unique","id":"THES48864"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["T.64-2024"],"accessionNumberNum":"64","accessionNumberPrefix":"T","accessionYear":2024,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-10-09","recordCreationDate":"2024-04-16","availableToBook":false}}