This enforced period of change has encouraged many artists to revaluate their practice and adapt to new ways of working. Before lockdown Jan Harrington's practice, focused on print and large site-specific installations, crisscrossing lines of tape interrogating architectural spaces; since, these artworks have become more insular and individual, turning to small things - it is embroidery that has become the most important part of the artists isolation practice; as she describes:

- Boxed In - (above) Reflecting on this on completion, the work mirrors our lives in our individual boxes, some close, some touching but not together. ‘

Vibrant Hours (2020) Embroidery thread on cashel; 950 x 1000 mm (NFS)

‘Vibrant Hours (Above) - ‘This was my first embroidery straight after lockdown and my first really vibrant work. Desperate to keep life and vitality in my world, I capture it in thread.’ 

‘Using so many more colours than my tape collection allows from a thread collection resurrected from a drawer and in a time when the mind can sometimes run out of control, I take one stitch at a time and thus, one minute and one day at a time. ‘




‘It has taken over the evenings while I half watch another box set on TV. The slow, deliberate stitching takes time and thought, patience and endeavour.  Using inspiration from previous tape installations for some pieces, other work simply emerged stitch by stitch - Apart Together - We all feel different at the moment but we are walking the same paths to get through this. ’ [Jan Harrington]


About the Artist

Jan Harrington is a contemporary artist with a studio based at Arts Central Milton Keynes, the artist graduated from BA Fine Art at the University of Northampton in 2019 in and was shortlisted for the Platform Graduate award at MK Gallery the same year.  Find out more  janharrington.net  Instagram ︎ Janharringtoncollections

All images courtesy of the artist  ©Copyright Jan Harrington 2020

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︎Arts for Health MK are currently working with the Jan Harrington as part of our temporary exhibitions programme, so look out for new artworks around Milton Keynes University Hospital soon! - You can find more about our temporary exhibitions programme here: https://artsforhealthmk.org.uk/Temporary-Exhibitions