Decades Hilary Holt Entering my 7th decade I have explored my personal history through the years, looking back at the fragmented memories of my life. I climbed into the attic and confronted the debris of the past decades.
Old photographs, long forgotten boxes of junk that should have been discarded, and in my mind searched for memories that now are only fleeting glimpses of the past.
Scraps of fabric symbolise the threads of the past, retrospectively patch worked together...trying to escape nostalgia, consolidating each decade, and mapping out the forgotten ... memories come back like broken shards, seen from who and where I am now ... we cannot escape our shadows.
1960s
Looking back into my teenage mind through diaries ... the irrelevant minutia of teenage life ... exam papers … knowledge long forgotten
My first batik, the beginnings of a lifelong engagement with art and textiles.
Alongside all of this … a passion for pop stars and travels to Africa and later America
1990s
Teaching art, photography and textiles in a university ... studying embroidery ... working towards my Masters degree, creating digital textile banners.
2010s
Where am I now?
Trying to stay in the present moment ... back in England but spending time in Portugal ... watching my six grandchildren grow and flourish ... an Instagram project taking one photo each day