Clare Sams — Making Spaces: Lace, language, and belonging

New works using lace techniques including tatting, Irish crochet lace and filet crochet. Sams' works examine the history of lace in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, both as a signifier of wealth and status and as a vital source of income for everyday people. Lace crafts are highly skilled activities that can be overlooked and undervalued as frivolous, domestic items; Sams places them firmly in the realm of fine art, using these complex techniques to develop social narratives critiquing class and culture.