Criminal Quilts x Tim Fowler

New work in collaboration with Tim Fowler

Prison Portraits & Prison Dress: A collaboration with Tim Fowler

With this third artist collaboration in the 2022 exhibition, I wanted to introduce something very different. I chose to work with contemporary painter Tim Fowler to create portraits from some of the prison mugshots. I often talk about giving colour and personality back to the lives of these women in contrast to the black and white photos and limited official records we have for them. These embellished paintings definitely do that. 

Paint on paper & canvas, textile, hand embroidery 

Prison Dress

I have used Tim’s paintings to create digital-printed patchwork and assembled the pieces into a version of Victorian prison clothing. Prison issue clothing was drab and without individuality whereas this interpretation reflects the (imagined) passions, personality and vibrancy of the women depicted in the images. 

Digital manipulation, digital print on organic cotton, machine-made patchwork and garments using scrap and vintage fabrics. Ruth Singer, 2021