Haptic Perception: An Artist Interview with Molly Pemberton
Artist Interview
By Hannah del Herrera
Textile artist, Molly Pemberton is a student artist based in Sheffield, currently studying at Sheffield Hallam University. By studying within solipsism and haptic perception, she has manifested a body of work conceptually conveying ‘the way in which we can use tactility to serve as an opportunity to reconnect to a world that is becoming increasingly distanced from us because of the ubiquitous nature of the digital world.’
“I feel like the more I read, the more the thoughts in my head have been able to materialise into words.”
As with many young artists, Pemberton began enthusiastically drawing photorealism; although her interest in textiles was prevalent whilst studying the subject alongside art at both GSCE and A Level. It was studying at college where she was able to open her practice up and separate herself from the ‘restrictions of drawing realistically’, and allowing herself to produce what would be deemed as her most successful pieces.
What drives you to work with the medium you use within your practice?
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Molly: ‘Textiles are incredibly important to the context of my work and are even the focal point of my current projects. Presently, my practice explores the relationship between the digital world and the handmade, and more specifically, how the escalation in digital technology has impacted our awareness of our immersion within the world as well as how we interact physically within the world. Textiles represent the tactility that the digital world is lacking and can therefore provide an opportunity to parry the potential threat against the perception of our environments.
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Whilst textiles are an important aspect of my work, I would not necessarily consider myself a textile artist. My background of course indicates my continued involvement with the medium, however, I am perhaps more interested in creating work where the presence of the hand is evident. Irrespective of the medium, much of my work requires large quantities of time and attention spent to complete it, which is paralleled with the time and attention required to discern this when investigated by the viewer.’
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The intricacies of attention and craft are conveyed in Pemberton’s work. In her piece ‘In Touch With Reality, 2020’, where she works with embroidery and leather to explore the significance of the tactile, this is further certified. It is clear the amount of thought and detail employed into her art. Pemberton goes on ‘The processes I use are contemplative and in turn I hope that is reciprocated by the viewer inspecting my work.’
In Touch With Reality, 2020
How has your process changed since studying art at University? Are there any significant changes you have noticed?
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Molly: ‘In the first year, there was definitely a struggle to finally find, not only what I am interested in art-wise but also to determine the way in which I was to actually create work about it. Due to the sheer amount of time I can spend on a piece, I am consequently not the most prolific artist. I think my experience at university has allowed me to feel less guilt about that and be content in knowing that the thinking and investigating is continually developing in the background. My practice has certainly become more research based since attending university and even more so since studying philosophy.’
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How does your life outside of art have an impact on your practice?
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Molly: ‘I find that it becomes increasingly difficult to pin down exactly how my life outside of art has an impact on my practice because they are endlessly converging. I will point out that I spend much of my time reading and watching dystopias and science fictions which undoubtedly began this whole project in the first place. It was by sheer coincidence that I noticed the imagery I had collated for a moodboard/colour palette had these genres in common. It is actually for this reason that red is such a prominent colour in my practice.’
Red is clearly a prominent aspect of Pemberton’s practice as it emerges consistently throughout her artwork. Whilst it could be partly be considered an aesthetic decision, there is a lingering importance for this particular colour that emphasises her message even further. ‘I like to work to colour palettes just because I like the cohesion. But also, it was red that put me onto the subject of my practice. So red is definitely important.’
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Has studying Philosophy impacted your art practice at all?
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Molly: ‘Studying areas such as metaphysics and phenomenology and more specifically, solipsism and haptic perception have enabled me to further my understanding of the philosophy of the sense of touch. I feel like the more I read, the more the thoughts in my head have been able to materialise into words. It is interesting to look back at my previous work and see how I was concerning myself with the same topics and attempting to say the same things but never quite succeeding.’
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Follow Molly Pemberton’s artistic journey and watch her practice as it evolves:
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