Pwytho Llais (Stitching a Voice)

Event Info

An exhibition by Bethan M. Hughes

Pwytho Llais (Stitching a Voice) explores how stitch creates a voice for expression, identity, and democracy. It encourages audiences to consider campaigning, petitioning, suffrage, the right to vote, and the impact of voting.

The work reflects on the power of a single vote and the fragility of democracy itself. It explores the symbolic ‘X’ mark we use for positive and negative expression, focusing on the mark we make to vote and to symbolise a kiss, and its potential for creative expression.

Bethan’s work is rooted in the rich heritage of traditional Welsh quilt designs. It is a contemporary medium for conversations about our future. Her quilts are highly textured with dense quilting stitches, improvised mark-making and piecing with a bold limited colour palette. The collection includes wholecloth quilts and larger installation pieces made up of thousands of tiny quilts.

Participatory practice and creative exchange are key factors in the development of her work, and she regularly engages with people of all ages and abilities to discover and explore themes that fascinate her.

Stitching a Voice was first exhibited at the Ruthin Craft Centre, the national centre for the applied arts.