Textiles Open at No Format Gallery

I am really pleased to take part in No Format Gallery’s inaugural Textiles Open. With so many different interpretations of textile based art practice this promises to be a fascinating show, see flyer at the end of the post for details.

“The Juror’s Handkerchief”

Embroidery on antique handkerchief 35x35 cm incl. frame. My piece in the Textiles Open

The words on this handkerchief refer to an important but little known Common Law principle dating back to 1670: The right of juries to acquit a defendant irrespective of any direction the judge gives.

This principle remains acutely relevant today, with the government aggressively prosecuting peaceful environmental protesters under broad, ill-defined offences eg “likely to be  a nuisance” or “too noisy “, and judges not allowing the climate crisis as defence while imposing maximum sentences on environmental defenders.

When Londoner Trudi Warner held up a placard bearing this principle outside the trial of climate activists, she was pursued by the government for criminal contempt of court. In April 24 the case was thrown out by the judge as “fanciful”, but the government sought permission to appeal this decision. 

The UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders has severely criticised the harsh treatment of peaceful environmental protesters in England as disproportionate and potentially in violation of the UK’s obligations under international law.

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