GALVANIZED MEMORIES
Category: Apparel
Competitions: International
GALVANISED MEMORIES tells the story of a blind boy raised on a small Scottish farm during the nineteenth century. Unable to see the world around him, he learned to understand it through touch, sound, scent, and the stories shared by his mother. Every evening, she would sit beside him and describe the landscape that stretched beyond their home. She spoke of grazing cattle, weathered stone walls, rolling fields, and the houndstooth jackets worn by generations of farmers. Wanting her son to experience these stories for himself, she began translating them into objects he could touch. Using strips of leather, she painstakingly wove houndstooth patterns by hand, allowing his fingers to trace the geometry, rhythm, and heritage of the land he could never see. Among all the animals on the farm, the boy formed a special bond with a young calf he had raised from birth. He knew its presence through the warmth of its coat, the sound of its breathing, and the comfort it brought him each day. When the animal eventually died, the loss left a lasting void. Seeing her son's grief, his mother preserved a part of that memory by crafting a jacket from the calf's leather. What had once been a companion became something he could wear, hold, and carry with him. Through woven leather houndstooth, saddle-inspired structures, and felted wool surfaces, GALVANISED MEMORIES explores how love, loss, and heritage can be preserved through craft. The collection reflects the belief that while memories fade, the objects made with care can continue to carry the presence of those we cherish long after they are gone.
