Commissioned for Our Marian, BACKLIT, Nottingham, 2026.

Created for Our Marian, these works explore how folklore is carried into the present through stories, symbols, and the objects we make. Developed as part of an exhibition that reimagines Maid Marian through a contemporary lens, the works consider how powerful women continue to be shaped through collective memory, myth, and acts of retelling.

Shake Banner Shake takes inspiration from the Fairy Flag of Clan MacLeod, a textile said to have been gifted by a fairy lover and unfurled only three times in moments of great need. A digitally woven image of the surviving Fairy Flag forms the background of the work. Fragmented and worn, the faded textile appears as a spectral trace suspended between history and legend. Translating this medieval object through contemporary digital weaving creates a dialogue between past and present forms of image-making, reflecting on how stories endure through reproduction, transformation, and retelling.

Across the banner runs an invocation: part spell, part battle cry. Drawing on figures such as Maid Marian, fairy queens, and other unruly women of folklore, the work centres women who have been described as dangerous, disruptive, or otherworldly. The bleeding text echoes medieval associations between femininity, blood, and transgression, carrying ideas of courage, survival, and collective strength.

Alongside the banner, Talisman (The Mermaid, Courage, The Hunt) is a series of cast metal badges inspired by medieval pilgrim souvenirs, votive offerings, and heraldic devices. Mermaids, vulvas, bleeding wounds, pierced hearts, and wild beasts appear as devotional emblems dedicated to difficult women: past, present, and future. Worn, carried, or held close to the body, the badges draw on the protective role of historical amulets while exploring ritual, memory, and personal mythology.

Together, the works consider how myths live through material culture. Textiles, badges, and symbols become vessels for stories that are carried, shared, and reshaped across generations.

Photographer: Joshua Jones