Tuesday, July 08, 2003

Pills, Thrills and and Couture 08 Jul 03 Textile artist Susie Freeman and practising GP Dr Liz Lee, are an unlikely twosome for an artistic collaboration. More unusual is the work they create - clothes that seem fluffy and frivolous but actually draw attention to medical matters. Susie Freeman and Liz Lee are old school friends and Susie explains how their collaboration developed: 'We chat like all women do. Liz was very interested in family planning, and wanted to raise awareness of contraceptive methods available.' Around the same time, a U.S. gallery which sold Susie's work, commissioned one of her textile garments decorated with pills. Susie hadn't made such a piece but the mistaken request sparked an idea - combine Susie's dramatic fabrics with Liz's medical objectives.  Their idea, which they called Inside Out, won them a Sci-Art Award in 1998 - a grants scheme sponsored by the Wellcome Trust encouraging collaborations between scientists and artists. This set them on the path of 'drawing attention to medical decisions that people make', enabling Susie and Liz 'to express the thought processes and emotions involved when patients make decisions about medical treatment.' ... Susie Freeman's and Dr Liz Lee's work can be viewed at: Contemporary Applied Arts, 2 Percy Street, London W1P 9FA (enquiries call 020 7436 2344) and from 19 July - 27 August at Fact, Fantasy and Pharmacopoeia, MAC, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH (enquiries: 0121 440 3838). [fashionUK] 5:54:07 AM  Google It!