A gentle and engaging profile of Ann Sutton, now 87 and arguably the country’s leading artist in textile, working in her Arundel studios.
What inspires someone to start on a dramatically new venture in their eighties? Iconic British artist Ann Sutton won world acclaim as a weaver and industrial textile designer – she would know. Aged 78, she gave up her looms and dedicated herself instead to pushing the boundaries of fine art. In her ‘laboratory’ of a studio in Arundel, she works alongside her assistant Ruth to turn her endless ideas into radical creations.
She is a magnet for artistic collaborators who enjoy her energy and wry humour. Suddenly Ann’s world changes as curators from two of Britain’s biggest art institutions – The Tate and V&A - start knocking on her door. Ann defies definition but sees how the rules and structures of weaving are informing her new styles of art. In a further local connection, the film’s co-directors, creates video content for Pallant House Gallery.