Sally Spinks

Flock’s popularity has experienced many peaks and troughs over the centuries whilst also being continually reimagined. It was invented in China 1,000BC; mechanised by monks in Medieval Europe; a cheap alternative to 17th century silk; appropriated by Indian restaurants in the 1970s; and, most recently, experienced a 21st century kitsch revival.

It's also one of the oldest reuse and recycle processes where waste yarn is used to add value to material, paper or other objects. In pushing the decadence and sumptuousness of flock through making hand tufted carpet, Sally produced waste fibres she can now use to flock other objects.

(Final photo credit: Paul Grundy)

Post cards of old masters, wool, cotton, silk

Commissions taken. If you have a favourite from this site or another old master you’d like me to work with, just contact me through this site. I normally charge £250 per Random Act, including frame and UK postage.

Amping up some concepts for the trend of ‘grillz’ or ‘fronts’ for teeth.

Developed during the Coronavirus pandemic, this piece contains hand tufted carpet embedded in a traditional rug (120cm diameter).

“Hic incipit pestis” is a Latin phrase that was scribbled in the margins of the Stratford on Avon parish register in 1564. Its meaning is literally ‘here begins the plague’ and it was a beginning. The plague lasted on and off for around 300 years. These words were recorded against the first plague death in the parish - that of apprentice weaver Oliver Gunne on 11 June 1564 – a mere 3 months after the same register records Shakespeare’s birth. Shakespeare was apparently saved from the plague by his parents isolating the family from immediate threats.

Working with carpet implies how this current pandemic has settled into our most intimate settings - our domesticity has been disrupted. It’s a reminder for us to consider how long we may need to live with this as part of our lives but also how textiles can bring comfort.

No wonder it’s called ‘brain fog’. These two brain patterns show pre & post-menopausal neural activity. More advice, guidance and open conversations are needed to enable women to deal with such difficult and distressing symptoms.

The second piece represents S.A.D. - social anxiety. As a self confessed introvert, I often feel like hiding in large groups.

Coded messages are sometimes better than having to say things out loud. This work uses shorthand, morse code and braille to convey a message. Whilst the title is “Yeah, I’m Good Thanks”, each small knitted panel (10 x 10cm) in shorthand and morse code contains the phrase “I am more broken than you know” over and over again. Similarly, the braille message whilst being on a much bigger scale - about 3m wide (each of the tufted circles is 10cm) - also says “I am more broken than you know”. Sometimes we all find it hard to admit to mental health issues. Let’s make it ok to speak out.

A commission based on the sound pattern of a phrase spoken by the client with some added pops of colour.

As an introvert I don’t like to shout out loud but I’m proud of who I am and my artistry. My weird tastes, my home, my husband, my life. BUT this message is understated. Hidden in latin graffiti - a voice of the voiceless.

CQD in morse code was the distress signal used by the Titantic and was the common call for help before SOS was standardised as the global signal. CQ (secu from the French for security) is an alert to the listener and the D is added for distress.

This work was made in the middle of the Coronavirus epidemic in 2020 and resembles the look of the government messages at the time. The call for help is coded as asking for help can be difficult when you feel more fortunate that most.

SOS - the newer work was selected for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2022.

Panem et Circenses - a Latin phrase meaning ‘bread and circuses’.

“Give them Bread and Circuses and they never revolt.” So wrote the Roman poet Juvenal about the superficial appeasements staged by governments. It’s still happening today. Don’t accept it. Always look behind the curtain.

A series of three works that explore possibilities to create more equality in society. ‘Level the Playing Field’ shows three graffiti pieces that take the words of Max Weber and his theory of social stratification. What if we shared power, property and prestige more fairly? Made from needle punch, graffiti is often a voice of the voiceless, calling for change.

‘Make it So’ is a two part tufted piece. The first shows a graph of how CEO wages have risen way above average and minimum wages since the 1960s. The second is a proposition to bring down that difference. Are CEO’s really worth their remuneration?

Finally, ‘UBI’ depicts a series of graphs showing the redistribution of wealth could bring. Knitted on tiny needles with fine cotton.

Brain patterns needle punched angrily through fabric. Therapy for mental health.

Made for an exhibition at Sunny Bank Mills these two pieces respond to ‘Tailored’. First, how women weren’t told about certain opportunities years ago. Thank goodness for change, even if there is still some way to go. Title “They didn’t teach me this at school”

The second refers to the harsh work environment in the mills. Woven through with human hair, the title of this work is “I gave them my all but still they wanted more”

Commission for Red Bull’s Amaphiko event in Bradford. Red Bull Amaphiko is a global programme that champions social entrepreneurs driving positive change in their corner of the world.

Hand tufted Axminster wool ‘AMAPHIKO’ letters and wings, laser cut 100% wool felt bulls and sun, laser cut patterned wool carpet ‘Red Bull’ letters. All wool stage setting to celebrate Bradford being the centre of the wool trade.

My thanks to Diana Civil, amazing stylist, for the commission.

We use phrases in everyday life that don’t convey what we really mean to say. Does the text in these pieces use a code to express true feelings rather than the song title?

Top left “You to me are everything”
Top right “Crazy little thing called love” Bottom left “How deep is your love” Bottom right “Power of love”

Inspired by old union images, the National Union of Me (Women’s Section) plays with the notion of that the cult of ‘me’ can create an absence of community in some areas of society.

How might we …

Commissions for IDEO and La Victoria Lab in Lima, Peru

A collaboration with a friend, Masi, from IDEO days ;) and her famous lemon. This version is approx 15cm and made with very fine yarn and needlepunch technique.

Enrica Masi is an amazing artist and graphic designer. Check her out at https://www.enricamasi.me/

Images of fires and riots where severe damage occurred and in some cases resulted in fatalities. The images have been darned using old fashioned techniques and yarns to “make do and mend”.

Needle punch repairs render plates and dishes as complete but unusable.

Coded, knitted graffiti. Only those who knit will understand.

Fine lines between comfort and danger. Knitted and carpet cigarettes in an exhibition at Tenderpixel, Covent Garden, London.

Exhibition @ Bearspace with Lisa Slominski

Installation views of huge knitted heat ducting.

Toilet roll holders, updated.

Tenderpixel, 8 Cecil Ct, Covent Garden, London WC2N 4HE

Part of the Deptford X Arts Festival. Coded, knitted graffiti around the streets of Deptford.

Ahhh. Love in the countryside. Clandestine or not, 18th century couples could be found gazing into each other’s eyes in a beautiful pastoral setting. Sometimes the only way they could meet in private. Relationships today ‘blossom’ with a swipe left or right on a phone or computer. My hope is that once the swiping is done in the modern, technological ether, the couples actually bridge the gap and get to meet for real in the countryside.

This image supports the artwork shown below shown in the Prism Textiles Exhibition ‘Edgelands’ at the Art Pavilion, Mile End, London, April 2024, once the QR Code embedded in the artwork is scanned.

How we grow produce has significantly shifted with the introduction of industrial processes. Crops now don’t have to be grown outside. With morse and QR codes, Sally investigates the switch to urban underground farms where light and nutrients are provided by technology.

No soil, no natural light, just an underground industrial space racked out with special lights and scientifically controlled water with nutrients to produce our food. Wow. How far we’ve come. Plants have uprooted from fields waving in the wind, to cross over into settings like this urban indoor warehouse.

This image supports the artwork shown below shown in the Prism Textiles Exhibition ‘Edgelands’ at the Art Pavilion, Mile End, London, April 2024, once the QR Code embedded in the artwork is scanned.

How we grow produce has significantly shifted with the introduction of industrial processes. Crops now don’t have to be grown outside. With morse and QR codes, Sally investigates the switch to urban underground farms where light and nutrients are provided by technology.

Farming today has shifted from just a pastoral activity in the field to automated processes taking place on a huge scale in industrial warehouse settings. The space between country and urban is blurred and confused. I wonder how the cows react? And the farmers?

This image supports the artwork shown below shown in the Prism Textiles Exhibition ‘Edgelands’ at the Art Pavilion, Mile End, London, April 2024, once the QR Code embedded in the artwork is scanned.

In the 18th century, Toile de Jouy depicted a fantasy version of a bucolic countryside. Sally uses morse and QR codes to explore the modern reality of farming and how, with the introduction of technology, it’s becoming more industrialised and urban.