Gavin Fry: From conception to creation

Gavin Fry is a hand embroiderer and collagist. He recognises that both the world and how he feels about it change constantly, and so Gavin develops his ideas and documents these in his visual diaries and artworks.

Gavin originally studied embroidery at Goldsmiths College in London under renowned and inspirational teachers, Eirian Short, Constance Howard and Audrey Walker. He is now a lecturer in visual communication at the University of Brighton where he gained his doctorate. Both his teaching and research are key to his art practice.

Gavin’s work has been showcased in exhibitions across the UK throughout his career from 1986 until 2019, his most recent being a body of work for the 62 Group exhibition ‘Construct’ at Sunny Bank Mills Gallery in Pudsey, West Yorkshire.

In this interview, Gavin describes his most recent work, ’24 hours in Police Custody’ which he developed for the exhibition and which was inspired by the Channel 4 drama of the same name. Gavin takes us through the story of his visual diaries – with Debbie Harry making a guest appearance – and shares with us how he combined his beloved techniques of collage and hand-stitch with carefully selected printed cloth and thread to craft this intriguing piece.