Artist: Billie Williams

a woman sits at a homemade spinning wheel made from upcycled materials.

Spinning Wheel

BA 3D Design & Craft
University of Brighton

Billie is a 3D Artist.

For her project A Woven Connection, Billie explored the process of spinning as a form of waste management, creating weave from waste materials. Out of the discarded items and litter that she found in her local, natural environment, Billie has created new, functional objects: a series of 3D maps of local green spaces. Using traditional craft techniques to draw attention to a current environmental concern, Billie’s work provides a positive solution to the problem of carelessly discarded waste and highlights a change in attitude that is needed in order to protect the nature that inhabits our local areas.

scrap plastic and reels of woven plastic thread woven on twigs.
three wooden frames with absract woven pieces made from waste plastic.
foraged items woven on a small frame.
foraged materials woven on a small frame.

In:Site 2022

Billie is one of 20 artists who were selected to show their work at In:Site 2022. The event took place in spring 2022.
Find out more about the other artists.

Working collaboratively, Billie Williams & Lily Hardy used traditional craft techniques to shift the way we use and value raw natural materials and modern waste materials. They see making as an important tool for empowerment and improving mental health, supporting communities to make positive changes for themselves, others, and the environments they live in. Access to rural land is an important focus for both artists, and their project raised awareness of how privately owned land and new laws will significantly limit access to green spaces, disconnecting people from nature and a sense of responsibility for the environmental damage that affects everyone.

3 circular brooches made of felted wool and natural materials on a white background
A circular brooch made of brown felted wool with a green ivy leaf embedded in the centre, on a white background
A circular brooch made of white felted wool with two brown stripes with green decoration, on a white background
A circular brooch made of a mixture of brown and natural coloured wool with two red stripes, on a white background


Where Next?

Artist: Rebecca Leek

Artist showcase.

A close-up section of a larger piece, made up of overlaid abstract shapes in red, blue, and yellow. This is a mixed media piece, comprised of print, embroidery, stitchwork and painting.

Artist: Lucy Ralph

Artist showcase.

A visual and textual informational poster of a young woman wearing a white polo shirt and blue jeans, both of which have been fixed by visible repair through patchworks of red, blue and white fabric scraps. Overlaid onto this photo are the phrases ‘PATCH IT’, ‘Dads old jeans’ and ‘Old school polo’.

Artist: Lola Awolowo

Artist showcase.

A painted, and embroidered portrait of a blue-eyed Black woman, on a background of collaged book pages. Her face is circular and tilted and she has short black hair. Her necklace and earrings are beads embroidered onto the piece’s surface. Her outline has been stitched in yellow thread.

Artist: Katy Gillam-Hull

Artist showcase.

A hand holding a green glass bead between the thumb and forefinger in front of a blurred house and tree.


Instagram



We use cookies. By browsing our site you agree to our use of cookies, Find out more