Catherine Bertola

Unseen by all but me alone is an installation of a series of delicate handmade golden cobwebs that subtly infiltrate the space. The work alludes to the long and extraordinary history of the building, it’s ownership, wealth, abandonment and rescue, and acknowledges the more domestic aspect of the grand, bare brick walls as intimate spaces in which people lived and worked. The work was inspired by medieval fairy and folk tales, which often used spinning as a metaphor, for the embodiment of the perfect woman and a means of escape from poverty. In a time when being a spinner was the most common occupation for women, being good at spinning and needlework were seen as a measure of goodness and an indication of piety and worthiness. The title is taken from a song, sung by Habetrot in the folk tale Habetrot and the Scantlie Mab. Habetrot is a figure in Scottish/English folklore associated with spinning and the spinning wheel, wool, and the spiderweb.