Heather Gibson
HAG is a queer creative on a mission for social change. Armed with thread, experimenting with all things tactile and creating video content - her aim is to shine a light on the misunderstood, misrepresented and mistreated.
After graduating in 2019, producing an immersive theatre stage at Boomtown and then heading into the pandemic - HAG utilised time inside to hone her embroidery style whilst capturing world events around her. Sliding out of lockdown into a residency with The Island, SPARED_CHANGE looked at homelessness within Bristol whilst raising awareness for those that are trying to end it. Working with St Mungo’s, the exhibition consisted of 3 tapestries created on the inside of sleeping bags to comment on the government’s one size fits all approach to ending homelessness whilst stitching stories of community into the unseen.
After hosting workshops with a youth group in Weston to collaborate on art for social change (OTHERS_DECIDE_FOR_YOU), the topic of climate change still being taught as a natural disaster was one that stood out. When responding to the climate crisis, educational resources are oftentimes the first solution that many come up with. However, it was (and has been) evident that young people are still seeking their own information despite failure in regional curriculums to offer adequate teachings on the biggest crisis humanity faces. Rather than dwelling on frustrations felt from the process of being ignored and undermined, HAG utilised these workshops to help redirect anger into something tangible and will forever work with young people to help harness their voices.
Following on from her work with Gathering Moss, HAG’s time at the Studio will be spent working with recycled, unconventional materials, to further look at microplastics and their relationship with humans through sculpture and installation. With CORONARY_SYNTHESIS begging the question ‘if babies are born with fifteen times more microplastics in them than adults in 2021 – what will human organs look like in the future?’; continued exploration will look at where responsibility lies.