It is perhaps too narrow a description to refer to Rebecca Fairley as a textile artist since her work incorporates, but also extends beyond, the traditional textile media and processes.
Using textiles as a tool for surface design, Fairley imprints and embeds patterns into concrete and other non-textile substrates. This juxtaposition of the harsh, brutal concrete with the soft, pliable textiles creates fascinating pieces that are at the same time visually appealing and irresistibly tactile. What may be considered an unforgiving material actually receives and reproduces surprisingly fine detail. For example, in her piece concrete moulded with jersey fabric and chicken wire, the delicate texture of the jersey is clearly visible. This texture is further enhanced by the imprinted shape of the chicken wire.
Concrete moulded on nylon in a hand stitch ruffle also shows an impressive level of detail, both in the very fine texturing of the weave and in the way the fabric folds hold their shape whilst still containing the concrete.
There is an excellent exposition of Fairley’s work on the Textile Artist website where she explains her inspiration and how her unique style of work came about.