This thesis examines how feminist ways of making and mending can be applied through a material investigation into postdisciplinary craft practices. Through practice-led research, material investigation and a conscious break from craft methods, I am embracing failure as a methodological framework. Some research motivations were guided by my own experience with influential women in my family. Through research and material investigations, craft practices were applied through a DIY method and were supported by sloppy craft theory. By embracing deskilling and reskilling within my work, I am investigating mending practices as a place for communal sharing and connection.
By embracing interdisciplinary approaches, craft and private practices are melded with sculptural and industrial metalworking, culminating in the form of plaster and bronze hands and tools. These solid, sculptural pieces of work are designed to capture gestures, the human form and the tools that created both embroidery and crochet pieces in this art practice. The exhibition was meant to be set in a recreated, imagined domestic space - to reflect women’s work and the rise of feminist craft practices in contemporary art. This space was envisioned to break away from the white cube and invite the viewer to share their knowledge and memories through an interactive "mend-in" session.