Susie Vickery

Embroiderer

©Raquel Aranda

Animated stitches with a message

Susie creates 3D, interactive embroidery pieces
She has travelled the world helping others with their traditional crafts
Her artworks are imbued with political and environmental messages

Susie Vickery's embroidery, costume making and automata have taken her across continents, from her native Australia through England, to the highlands of Tibet, India, the valleys of Nepal, Myanmar, and onwards to Turkey and rural Mexico. Today, she divides her time between London in the UK and Fremantle in Australia. Susie's journey began backstage with her crafting 18th and 19th century men’s costumes for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the English National Opera. However, it was in Kathmandu, where she worked alongside women to nurture their traditional crafts, that her threads began to speak a different language. "Since then, my needle has become a voice, stitching critiques on sweatshop inequality, the plundering of natural resources and the slow unravelling of our environment," Susie says. Her artworks are animated by both her conscience and her craftsmanship.

Interview

©Raquel Aranda

©Raquel Aranda

How did you begin your practice?: I was a costume maker at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Later, I got a job in Stratford-upon-Avon working in men’s costumes. I really like structured tailoring as a lot of it is hand-stitched and 3D. When I make a tailcoat, I am padding the lining and shaping the collars and lapels, creating a veritable structure.
What is a common thread within your varied works?: I love doing embroidery and hand-stitching, but from the very beginning, I wanted to make my works move. That is when I started making little puppets and animating them, creating automata. Even when I do flat portraits, I always try to put movement in them. I like 3D, interactive visuals.
What do you love about embroidery?: I like doing lots of dense stitching because I like the act of crafting. I like that the fabrics can tell a story, especially if they are being repurposed. The stitching tells a story too, and the artwork as a whole tells a whole other story. I do not think that a painting can present those layers.
How do you express innovation and tradition in your work?: My most recent work is about environmental destruction and loss of biodiversity. I am always trying to put a message into my work. I use traditional techniques but apply them in different contexts. It is about combining these traditions with a message, so I am not just making a picture of a bird on a log.

Susie Vickery is a master artisan: she began her career in 2000 and she started teaching in 2012