interview Catherine Coyle photography Commissioned for Dundee Design Festival 2024
Hannah Sabapathy is a textiles artist and founder of Plica, a studio exploring colour, materials and the politics of pattern
“I made the choice to change my practice. I loved making jewellery but there was a conceptual side to my work that I felt was missing,” says Hannah Sabapathy, textiles artist and founder of Plica studio. “My work allows me to research and respond to the history of textile design through making, as well as enabling me to communicate these complex and difficult histories to wider audiences.”
Hannah explains that she believes there is a growing desire, both from the public and institutions, to reconsider and reflect on the textile narratives intertwined with colonialism. Her aim is to be part of this conversation.
“My partner is Scottish, and we met in Scotland. We both moved to London together and lived there for a long time. My daughter was young when she became type 1 diabetic and I had always wanted to return to Scotland, but we decided to move back to have more family support.”
After the family were here, Hannah Sabapathy was able to spend time testing out ideas and developing them. The maker got a visual artist and craft maker award (VACMA) and a Creative Scotland award which allowed her to develop and hone her jewellery collection. “I was lucky enough to be able to work at a pace that fitted in with my caring responsibilities and I was able to access the supportive and dynamic creative environment in Scotland,” she explains.
Hannah grew up in Birmingham. Her dad is from Chennai in South India and her mum was from the north-east of England. “She was a major influence on me – she was always knitting, embroidering and, when she was older, quilting,” she says.
Hannah Sabapathy paints a picture of a colourful and creative childhood, saying, “I made textiles from a young age and loved drawing. I learned to knit and to embroider and later did patchwork.
“My grandma came from Chennai to live with us when I was born. She only ever wore saris and would regularly go to India and come back with textiles. So South Indian textiles were very familiar to me. At school, though, textiles were seen as part of Home Economics, which put me off, so I did art at school rather than textiles.”
At Chelsea School of Art, Hannah studied textiles and then worked for a textile design studio as a print designer for several years. “I was mainly creating digital prints at this point and I missed the materiality of working with fabric and screenprinting.” She decided to go to the Royal College and do an MA in printed textiles. “While I was there, I switched from working simply with textiles to working with a variety of surfaces, using techniques such as wood veneers, lacquers, laser etching and cutting. Working at a larger scale, I made a series of collaged furniture prototypes.”
During a residency at Hospitalfield, Arbroath, Hannah Sabapathy began looking at Indian miniature painting and the collages of pattern within them. “From this, my attention turned back to textiles, as I was drawn to the patterned clothing worn in the paintings. I began to research South Asian textiles and around the same time I participated in Craft Scotland’s COMPASS programme, which exposed me to different practitioners and allowed me to think about the direction I wanted my work to go in.”
Hannah’s recent work is based around archival research, “So I often visit collections such as the National Museum of Scotland archives. I was one of two artists selected for the first DCA Print Studio x Jerwood residency, so lately I have been in the print studio, learning new techniques and testing ideas. While there I learned to make paper, alongside relief printing and copperplate etching.”
Recently, Hannah Sabapathy made a body of work that is the basis for a future collection of furniture pieces. “A lot of my days are very creative and thinking through making, but other days are dealing with admin I am going to be developing a series of furniture prototypes featuring enamel inlays and screenprinted and dyed wood veneers, as well as a series of vitreous enamel vessels to sit alongside them.”
Hannah also showed an earlier furniture piece at the Dundee Design Festival 2024, as well as some sample pieces for this project. “This was a development from my work at the DCA Print Studio x Jerwood residency. For this, I was looking at ideas of imitation and exploring some British textile prints featuring checks and imitation South Asian print motifs. I looked at Madras checks in the John Forbes Watson volumes and at my dad’s lungis, also made from Madras check fabrics.”
The furniture pieces are based on shapes outlined in the Indian section of the 1862 International Exhibition. The shapes are labelled furniture, but it is unclear what they were like. Two copies of The Textile Manufactures of India were displayed at this exhibition, as well as lungis.
“I’m collaging together all these ideas to make patterned furniture. I am planning to go back to South India next year, as I have a printing project that I am hoping to collaborate on with a collective there. Part of this will be a return to working with textiles, which I am excited about.”
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