Ditty Dokter
Tapestry Weaver
I am a member of the British Tapestry Group Eastern Region and the Riverside Artists.
I was introduced to tapestry weaving by Eta Ingram, trained at Westdean college and continue to develop my practice, including working with other tapestry weavers.
I have worked with textiles for most of my life but been engaged in tapestry for 15 years now. I worked professionally as a psychotherapist (drama, dance, group analytic) in adult/adolescent mental health. Improvised performance was part of that practice, and I also developed the weaving alongside Amerta; an ecological movement improvisation practice. As well as in textile related exhibitions, I have exhibited my weavings as part of multi media performances ( Finding home, Come or Go, Fluid borders and Mycelial connections over time).
My migration experience is an underlying theme of my weaving. My relationship with landscapes, finding a home in different landscapes, becoming a part of the landscape are explored through a range of textures, colours and ways of weaving. Excentric weaving and warp manipulation lend themselves well to my preferred improvisational weaving style. Incorporating found objects and materials from those landscapes are part of the form giving. Playing with different materials is very much part of my pleasure in weaving.
I occasionally offer workshops about the interweaving of embodiment and tapestry. My therapy life included both clinical and teaching responsibilities and I now prefer to focus on making.