Sensibilities On The Bonnet, a commission by Isle of Wight artist Joshua Raffell, is on display at The Arc in Winchester.
The exhibition, running until Sunday, September 7, celebrates the lives and experiences of working women through conversation, craft, and collaboration.
Raffell said: “This exhibition is a celebration of the everyday women living and working in Winchester today, whose stories so often go unheard.
“For me, craft is a way to hold stories, stitching together the visible and invisible.
“Using mixed media – textiles, fibreglass, and found materials – I aim to weave their voices and experiences into something tangible and resonant.”
The exhibition reimagines the bonnet as a symbol of resistance, resilience and resourcefulness.
The title plays on the dual meaning of “bonnet,” referring both to headwear and the engine cover of a car.
The display connects historical themes to the present day.
It is a contemporary response to Beyond the Bonnets: Working Women in Jane Austen’s Novels, which runs in The Gallery at The Arc from July.
While the main exhibition explores women’s work in Regency-era Hampshire, Raffell’s commission focuses on the voices of working women today.
His wider artistic practice spans installation and performance and centres craft as a form of protest, survival and storytelling.
In his hands, crochet, craft, found and DIY materials metamorphose into vibrant but often challenging displays.
This latest project is supported by Arts Council England.
It builds on Raffell’s series of regionally engaged works, including a recent solo show at Studio 1.1 in London.
Later this year, Raffell will begin a sponsored artist residency at Spudworks in Hampshire.
