Yuliya Alexandrovna Surnina
Visible Mending
Yuliya Surnina, is a Designer/Maker born in Kazakhstan during the zenith of Soviet Union. She primarily explores three main themes in her work: object transformation, perceptions of and expectations from female bodies, and the experience of straddling two cultures. Within the realm of object transformation, Yuliya investigates questions of object devaluation and rediscovery through human creativity and effort. She delves into personal and societal significance that we attribute to discarded or abandoned objects. When exploring the perceptions of female bodies, the maker reflects on relationship with her own body, and how it manifests emotional and physical trauma, including experiences of her female ancestors. In navigating the space between two cultures, Yuliya delves into her Soviet childhood, both as an observer living in the UK, and a mother, wanting to share her heritage with a child. She explores this through the prisms of literature, food, music and education. Yuliya transforms vintage textiles using hand and machine sewing techniques, including visible mending, patchwork, boro, bojagi, sashiko, applique and quilting. She enjoys combining those with the traditional upholstery methods, digital photography and textile printing. Found objects (either gifted or discovered in old middens), weathered wood, and battered metal are also evident in her work. Trained as a City and Guilds Traditional Upholsterer with a MSc in Social Psychology, Julia lives amidst an ancient woodland in Dorset, with her husband, son, and two determined spaniels. Her studio brims with vintage fabrics, which she “just loves looking at”.
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