Michèle Heidi Sutton
An interview
with Michèle Heidi Sutton
about her multiple:
'Peace Prayer Amulet/Pendant’
Where did you make these multiples?
In my garden studio in Rhoshirwaun on the Llyn peninsula
Any interesting or funny stories in the development of these multiples?
As I hand stitched the amulets over a long period of time, the project became more of a mindful healing meditation for me - a constructive way to cope with periodic bouts of depression. I began to reflect on the nature of the amulet as a protective device and with each stitch I was conscious of my intention to create a magic spell or charm. The mantra 'Do no harm' is believed to have originated with Hippocrates in a treatise he wrote entitled, 'Of the Epidemics' which has proved to be strangely prescient in these times of Covid.
Tell me about your experience with Unus Multorum and/or Plas Bodfa as it relates to your multiples.
I came to Unus Multorum as something of a personal challenge because of my innate inability to make more than one of anything. Despite several years as a printmaker my altered artist's prints always ended up subverting the process of repetition and resulted in each print being unique rather than identical. Unus Multorum was an opportunity for me to slow down my process and make the repetition itself part of the project. Because of the hand made nature of the embroidery process the end result is necessarily a set of very similar but still unique items. However, they are definitely of a kind and are more similar to one another than anything I have achieved before and thus I feel that I achieved my aim.
You choose to make a certain number of Objects in your edition. Why this number?
While I submitted 12 amulets to Plas Bodfa, I actually made 13 because one was my prototype for trying things out. I have a preference for prime numbers. Thirteen has always been a lucky number for me and it is also the number required for a coven .
Where do you imagine these multiples to end up?
I would like for people to wear my multiples as protective prayer amulets. Each one was created as a prayer/charm/spell and I hope that they may help whoever acquires one to follow the path of peace throughout their lives.
Tell me more about the materials used in your multiple.
Why did you choose this material? What do you like about it?
I use reclaimed, pre-loved fabrics whenever possible
because I believe that we all need to take responsibility for our environmental footprint and I aim to ensure that my own creative work is as sustainable as possible. I am a strong advocate of fair trade and I am conscious of the work that goes into producing the fabrics that we wear and use.
Why do you make things (in general)?
I make things because I can't not do it and because it keeps me sane. I often have a very tactile response to materials and my curiosity drives me to explore their limits as well as my own.
