‘Song for Nettie’ comprises textile and audio and is a work which can be installed and/or performed. It is primarily concerned with the town Paisley – its rich, diverse and often confused textile history and its relationship with the design to which it lends its name. The installed work presents stories collected from the town (some historical accounts and some personal reminiscences) in textual form hand-stitched into the garment’s panels, and in audible form as part of the musical work. The performed work tells the story of the artist’s own relationship with her own town.

In the House, processes undertaken and the specific materials used to create ‘Song for Nettie’ are as important to the work as the ‘Finished Products’ you see in the Gallery. Here the artist presents these in a fantastical seamstress’s workroom installation. The room includes all 140 fabric remnants used in the production of the dress, the design sketches, pattern pieces and prototypes for the dress, the Paisley-made threads used in the production and embroidery of the dress, the research materials and notes from Paisley library and museum and the unedited sound recordings made in Paisley which are available to listen to at various stations around the room.’

People’s accounts of working in the thread factory and the snippets I heard from a recording made in an old weaver’s cottage furnished the ‘fantastical seamstress’s room’ installation with a vernacular sense of history but the sound-piece in the gallery was more difficult to hear. As ever in white gallery spaces, environmental noise and the lack of a comfortable listening position made it difficult to become fully immersed in the audio material. But snippets of conversation and music did catch in my ears as I wandered around the space, just as my eyes occasionally fell on an embroidered panel in the dress. I found this fragmentary aspect of the work true to history in some way: No matter how many pieces of the past you pick up, there is something ultimately irretrievable and piecemeal about even the most extensive survey of evidence.

You can see Lisa’s work in the PM Gallery up until the 19th of January.

Being artists who both work with sound and with handmade items, we found we had a lot to talk about, and at the end of the Art Day in London, we decided to swap artwork and music. Lisa and her partner also have a band called Sleeps in Oysters whose music can be heard on myspace. Do check them out – they’re like a blend of Sigur Ros, Bjork, Joanna Newsom, and the more chilled out beats of Squarepusher or Matmos. Their work also reminds me of Bird Heart in Wool by Textile Ranch and the delicate, electro-acoustical beauty of Tunng. Listening to Sleeps in Oysters is like getting massaged by tiny bells, whispering creatures, magical organs and heart-beats. Rhythmical elements are sometimes made up by manipulating environmental sounds. A dripping tap or a storm may be altered skillfully to produce rich beats in the music.

http://www.myspace.com/sleepsinoysters

I was very happy when Lisa sent me some Sleeps in Oysters music and the accompanying artwork, as part of our swap.

She also machine-sewed me a gorgeous green tote after observing my frustration with a slightly-too-small knitting bag!

I am loving all the sounds while I knit, and the bag is perfect for my knitting.

In exchange I sent Lisa this lot, and am still up for swapping if anyone has ideas!

You can contact Lisa at busbylisa@hotmail.com.