My collection of subversive fabric designs reflects the approaches and ideology of mainstream feminism from the 1960s to the year 2000. The works contextualize and foreground contemporary feminism by responding to, and honoring, the distinct issues and approaches of the second and third waves of the movement. Nineteen sixties-style bright psychedelic shapes are formed from domestic symbols which reflect the subversion of the housewife figure that was fundamental to the second wave. Laura Ashley-inspired florals that appear innocent, are, on further inspection, comprised of bloodied menstrual products, to evoke the confrontational attitude of 1970s feminism, and its dissemination of taboo imagery of aspects of womanhood. The textile patterns designed in response to the rise of liberal feminism in the 1990s acknowledge the embrace of femininity as a characteristic of the third wave of the movement. The fabrics are designed for use for period fashion garments, such as that of the slip dress; a clothing item that exploded in popularity during the1990s.

Image Titles:

Bryony Carney. 1960s: Housewife. Hand drawn, digital manipulation. 2020.

Bryony Carney. 1970s: Roses Cassis. Watercolour, digital manipulation. 2020.

Bryony Carney. 1970s: Strawberry Fields. Watercolour, digital manipulation. 2020.

Bryony Carney. 1990s: Barbed Wire. Hand drawn, digital manipulation. 2020.