Jessica's tapestries transpose notions of geologic 'deep time' into fibre art. She currently lives and works in Falmouth, where she can immerse herself in inspiration from the stunning local landscape. These large works, all woven by hand, take the Cornish coast as starting point. Weaving shells, rope-like forms, braids and a plethora of yarns (all bought from charity shops or recycled in order to have minimum environmental impact), into sprawling, archaeological wall hangings.

 

Jessica rekindles the tradition of loom weaving with a contemporary edge, paying tribute to her Italian heritage and the ever-changing coastline through the ineffable languages of process and touch. All of the women in Babbini-Baker's family have been involved with fibre, whether through crochet, knitting weaving, sewing, or basket weaving, so Jessica feels a connection to family by continuing to work in this way.

 

"My work both acknowledges this history and labour of making whilst remaining a piece of 'fine art'. Its links to domesticity and craft is something I acknowledge through my family, which doesn't come across explicitly - I use tapestry weaving as a vessel for ideas and thought."

 

Geology and feminism collide in the contextual side of Jessica's work as Hydrofeminism (an awareness and an assertion of the fluid nature of being in and of the biological world).

In the same way that coastlines are continuously sculpted by the sea, Jessica's fluid creative process of laying yarn between the warp threads illustrates this concept of Hydrofeminism. The tonal colours and varying weight of the recycled yarns are organic in feel, and whilst artistic control is obvious within each work, the serendipity and fluidity are notable.

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"I can not only highlight our responsibility to protect this environment but to also contemplate our human relationships and how they fit in our current society. As threads intertwine in my artworks, so too do the complex narratives of shared experiences concerning feminism and the environment". Jessica Babbini-Baker

 

Following the success of her 'Exmouth Cliffs' artwork at the annual Gradaute Art Show last October, we dove a little deeper into what these powerful wall hangings have come to represent. For more information about Jessica's influences and process you can read the interview here