Becky Dodman Wainwright
With a passion for art, and interiors, Becky Dodman Wainwright is a multi-disciplinary textile designer and artist with a colourful and bold style. Having worked for over a decade in the textile industry and as a lecturer at Arts University Plymouth, the Devon born designer is creating from a diverse heritage of Chinese and Colombian influence. Her work explores traditional crafts to produce textile collections. She lives and works in the South West of England.
Her recent project, Tasseography Textiles, aims to poke fun at the mundanity of tea in our everyday rituals, and how we use tea as a sensory activity to bring our selves together to talk, share experiences and plan for the future. Like her British great grandmother (in rural South Devon) she uses tea leaf readings to subvert the act of tea drinking, exploring spirit, shape and colour with the people around her. Becky has created, a generative participatory design approach that works with people (designers and non-designers alike) to explore their own internal landscapes, and ‘otherness’ as amorphic future Us. This participatory process creates design plans for textile art works.
Dodman’s adventurous approach to her methods, incorporate a personable and collaborative style at her core. Taking traditional methods of tapestry, tufting and knit, Dodman transforms these methods which result in her instantly recognisable, fun and vibrant contemporary artworks. Sharing joyfulness is central to her work.
Becky is creative with an advanced understanding of technical knit developments (for the domestic knitting machine), tapestry weaving, crochet for 3D forms, and tufting (gun) for rug outputs.
Becky works part time at Arts University Plymouth lecturing in the BA Hons Textiles Department. Previously she lectured on the BA Hons Fashion Degree. Her work profile can be seen here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckydodman/
Becky has also worked as an associate lecturer at Falmouth University in the BA Hons Fashion Design Department teaching Colour.
Link Highlights here: https://linktr.ee/Beckydodmanwainwright
Becky’s current project Tasseography Textiles (2021) has been featured in New York’s Talking Textile Magazine, and she was shortlisted and exhibited at the prestigious Making It Exhibition (2021) in the Jubilee Gallery, Devon Guild of Craftsmen at Bovey Tracey, Devon. In addition, her recent, arts council England funded Solo Show will present this project and celebrate the 40 participants of the project at Ocean Studios, Plymouth Sept - Oct 2021 (UK).
Contact her directly for art and commission enquiries at rdodman3@gmail.com; or for lecturing and course enquires related to Arts University Plymouth at rdodman@pca.ac.uk
All Modelled images are credited to Dom Moore Photography 2011-2020
Exhibitions
We Could Be Witches, Fish Factory Arts, April 2024 (Tapestry Weavings, Group Exhibition)
Therapeutic Landscapes. Worcester University. Art House March - April 2024 (Group Exhibition Photography and Writing)
Print in Action, Ocean Studios, Plymouth. March 2024 (Tapestry Weavings, Group Exhibition)
Brighten Ye Corners. Field System Gallery. Ashburton. 2023 (Tapestry Weavings, Group Exhibition)
Tasseography Textiles. Ocean Studios. 2023 (Large Tapestry Weavings)
Deep in Thought. Cista Arts. Online International. 2023 (Tapestry weavings, group exhibition, publication)
Fortune Teller. Fronteer Gallery. Sheffield. 2023 (painting, group exhibition)
Premonition of This Place. Southcombe Barn Gallery. Widecombe on the Moor. 2022 (Exhibition with Milly Brown)
Tasseography Textiles. Ocean Studios, Plymouth. 2021 (Solo Exhibition. Arts Council Funded, Dom Moore Photo Supported)
MA PCA Show. Plymouth College of Art. Plymouth 2021 (Group Exhibition)
Making It. Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Jubilee Gallery, Bovey Tracey July - Sept 2021 (Group Exhibition)
Lavish: Stuart House, Liskeard, Cornwall, UK Nov 2017 (Group Exhibition)
Barrell Up: Studio 102, Vauxhall Street, Plymouth, UK Aug 2016 (Group Exhibition)
Loop: Studio 102, Vauxhall Street, Plymouth, UK May 2016 (Solo Exhibition)
Metamorphosis. PCA Lift Gallery, Tavistock Place, Plymouth, UK Jan-Feb 2016 (Solo Exhibition. Arts Council Funded, Dom Moore and PCA supported)
Collections
Tasseography for Textile Design (2020 - 2021) MA in Textile Design. ONGOING
Dance Knit (2020) (Machine Knitting Research, Creative Technology Network Funded, Collaboration with Ben Dunks)
Renaissance Moves (2020) (Embroidery, Creative Technology Network Funded, Collaboration with Ben Dunks)
For the Love 2018-19 (Knitwear)
Cats and Flowers 2018 (Art Works for Prints and Cross Stitch)
Family 2017-18 (Knitwear)
Fuzzy Boobs and Merkins 2017 (Tufted Textiles for Garments)
Metamorphosis 2015-2016 (Knitwear)
Wendell 2013 (Knitwear)
Hundertwasser 2012 (Knitwear)
Psychedelic Seraphine 2011 (Knitwear)
Honours, Writing, Awards, Academia and Residencies
Artist Facilitator and Researcher. Museum of London. (Freelance. 2024)
Therapeutic Landscapes Conference. Worcester University. Reading Authored Paper Premonition of This Place (2024)
Print in Action. Ocean Studios Guest Speaker and Exhibitor. (2024)
Top 100 Textile Artists - By Textile Curator (2022)
Premonition of This Place. Southcombe Barn Gallery. Widecombe on the Moor. 2022 (Residency with Milly Brown)
Assessment Writing for Qualifications (freelance 2021 - 2022)
Crafts Council (Associate Member 2021 - ongoing)
Make SW (Associate Member 2021 - paused)
Making It. Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Jubilee Gallery, Bovey Tracey July - Sept 2021 (Associate Member Award)
Arts Council England - Using Tasseography to Co-Design Textile Artworks. Including peer reviewed article: https://issuu.com/plymouthcollegeofart/docs/sub-text_issue_1 2021
Arts Council England - Dance Knit with Ben Dunks and Renaissance Moves. 2020
Artist - Product - Made In Plymouth July 2018
Arts Council England - Metamorphosis - 3D printing with knitwear design. 2015-2016
Made@EU . PCA FAB LAB Residency exploring Craft with Digital Technologies. Feb 2015.
Shortlisted for Clothes Show Live Knitwear Designer of the Year 2011
Shortlisted for Hammersmith Innovation Award at GFW 2011
Qualifications
MA Textile Design with Distinction 2021
PGCE (inc DTLLS) Specialism Fashion and Textiles 2012
1st BAHons Fashion 2011
2:1 BAHons Youth and Community Studies 2000
Above photo by Dom Moore http://www.dommoore.co.uk/
