Caitlin Grace Binks
Fine Art
I am a feminist, textile artist who explores themes of harassment, sexist language, social fears and solidarity.
Final year project
Are We Really Safe?
Now Remember, Before You Go Out... (mixed media, monofilament and wooden dowel)
This weave is made up of strips of donated fabric and yarn from other women. Some strips feature text that I collected through surveys sent out to university age women and femme-presenting people. The text is either digitally embroidered instructions that people listed as the various rules they had been advised to stay safe, or free-machine embroidered quotes about how these precautions made them feel, stitched in their own handwriting. These instructions are ingrained into our everyday life from a young age, creating the narrative of it being women and femme-presenting people's responsibility to protect themselves. Through the length of this weave, I wanted to illustrate how many different (and contradicting) precautions are in the back of our minds throughout our daily lives, and how ridiculous it is that this is accepted as normal.
The materials and process were also important to the piece, as mentioned, using donated fabric and yarn, e.g. from old clothes or scraps from other women's craft projects. I wanted to relate back to traditional "women's" and historically undervalued techniques such as weaving, so learnt how to completely set up a loom myself. This was a challenge and took time, but it was so satisfying to create this weave on a loom I knew I had done myself. The repetitive process of weaving was cathartic and relieving as I tackled such a heavy topic.
I Hold My Breath (Felt, acrylic paint and thread)
This stitched painting is part of a series I hope to continue, showing scenarios or places where women and femme-presenting people have said they feel unsafe. They are inspired by quotes submitted to me, about mundane situations that they will avoid when alone. This specific piece relates to the fear of a car braking alongside side you on an empty, dark street.
Safety Blanket (Mixed media)
This piece was inspired by probably my most commonly sent and received text message: "Are you home safe?". It's something that has constantly been sent back and to between me and friends, ever since I started venturing out alone. I didn't think of it as abnormal until I found out that friends who had been raised as men didn't really feel the need to do this.
To reflect on this, I digitally embroidered the repeated phrase 'Safe?'. I wanted to turn this into a blanket - a safety blanket - to represent how this text was almost like a safety blanket itself. We would send these texts to create an air of feeling in control, and feeling protected by our friend's knowledge, like it made dealing with feeling unsafe a little bit easier.
Self Defence (Fabric, thread, toy stuffing and embroidery hoop)
An image that came up repeatedly in people's responses to my surveys was threading keys through your fingers as a weapon when walking alone. This is something I also do, and I was really interested in the idea of taking something domestic that reminds us of our home and safe spaces and turning it into a weapon of last resort. I wanted to subvert this again, turning the keys back into an oversized, domestic and useless item.
Cluster of Works
Don't Touch Me (Mixed media)
A small hand weave
My Studio Space
Caitlin Grace Binks
Final year project
Are We Really Safe?
Awards
After featuring in the AIR Open Exhibition in 2021, I was awarded the 'Highly Commended' award based on votes by visitors and a judging panel. I have had work in a few exhibitions this year, such as HYSTERICAL at no format Gallery in Deptford, London; MADE IT 2022 at HOME, Manchester; and FEEL YOURSELF: Coppafeel Charity Exhibition at Leeds University.
I also received a 'highly commended sub-committee member of the term' for my role as Media Officer on Women's Network for my work on the art installation for International Women's Week.
Work Experience
This year I have been the Media and Communications Officer on the universities Women's Network, which has been a big influence on my practice. The start of this academic year was dominated by cases of spiking and fears of harassment in nightlife situations. This resulted in working closely with the Student's Union to create changes in the Union, e.g. implementing welfare officers on nights out with full training responding to cases of spiking and assault. My role specifically entails creating posts for our Instagram on topics to raise awareness and educate about various issues relating to the university and wider society.
This role also provided an opportunity to work with LUArts to create an event for International Women's Week. Working with artist Sarah Taylor Silverwood, we intended to recreate Judy Chicago's 'The Dinner Party' in a more intersectional and interactive way. We held workshops with students to create elements of the dinner setting, such as dedicated plates, a collaborative textiles banner and napkins filled with conversation prompts about the university and gender equality. All of this resulted in 'Conversations At The Table: The Dinner Party Reimagined', where we held a dinner within the art installation with senior staff members like the VC and student representatives. The napkins were used to create conversations about what the university does and can do to create a more inclusive and safe environment.
This has all benefitted my practice, as I have learnt more about actually creating change through art and the role of art in activism. It has also better educated me in taking on a role in an activist position and given me the confidence to talk more about issues important to me without fear of retaliation.
Over the first lockdown, I taught myself to crochet and opened an Etsy shop where I sold crocheted earrings, keyrings and other accessories. All the free time during the lockdowns, allowed me time to take as many orders as I could and perfect my skills in crochet. This impacted my last two years at university as it encouraged me to pursue a practice in textiles, and gave me the confidence to experiment with it.