Blue threads of memory
- Deniz links embroidery and emotional mending
- She enjoys the slow, meditative process of stitching
- Her large-scale pieces are the most physically challenging projects
In her native Istanbul, Deniz Kurdak spent much of her childhood with her grandparents, learning how to sew, cross-stitch, and knit from her grandmothers. "As a child, I used to make clothes for my dolls and cloths for large water bottles," she says. Deniz studied stage and costume design at Mimar Sinan Fine Art University, specialised in puppet design and went on to teach it at the same university. After moving to London in 2014, she took a course in embroidery and discovered her passion for free motion embroidery. Two of her works were selected for the 2024 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, and she was awarded an artist residency with Artist Make Space in London. This granted her a large, light workspace to explore embroidery on a bigger scale.
INTERVIEW
Normally, stitching on a sewing machine is done in a straight line to bring two fabrics together. Free motion embroidery gives me freedom. By changing the foot on the machine and making a small adjustment, I can move the fabric in all directions. It is like drawing, except the paper is moving and not the pen.
My creations are inspired by my grandmother's porcelain and my imagination. I often reinterpret specific designs, such as the willow tree form, by integrating elements from various other shapes that I like.
Blue takes the centre stage in my work. I have tried working with other colours, but I always go back to cobalt blue, specifically Gütermann thread #214. My name is direct translation of the word 'sea'. I spent my childhood holidays with my grandparents by the coast, surrounded by shades of blue, so the sea deeply influences me.
My pieces bring together my personal migration journey and the broader history of porcelain. They are also connected to my childhood. Stitching has the capacity to mend, and through it I rewrite narratives and personal history. I am drawn to the tension between belonging and alienation.
