'Catching Reflections' are two sculptural installations that embrace gravity and movement. Soft, draped forms hover between sculpture and textile, architecture and the body. 

At the centre of the work is the repetitive process of hand knotting and joining each tile together, contrasted by the digital precision of the laser-cutting to create each tile. Held in place by the steel frame, existing in a delicate balance, the constructed textile appears to drape, evoking forms like hammocks, shawls, or netting, and these references speak to protection, comfort. 

Ashley’s practice is inspired by artists like Phyllida Barlow and Eva Hesse and is rooted in textile traditions passed down through her grandmother, who moved to Harlow from London after the war. Craft-based, labour-intensive techniques such as sewing, embroidery, and knitting were once used as part of post-war recovery efforts for soldiers and are translated here into a new material language. Ashley's work also draws influence from her father’s architectural career, particularly his role in restoring structural support systems, including the stunning 'dalle de verre' glass at the Grade II-listed Our Lady of Fatima church in Harlow. These dual legacies of care and construction, domestic and architectural, private and public, inform the quiet strength that runs through her work.

The vibrant neon pink acts as a counterpoint to the subdued tones of the civic space, bringing visibility, vibrancy, and a contemporary energy to the work. It refuses to be overlooked. The mirrors reflect the surroundings, folding the viewer and the environment into its surface. Together, these elements form a conversation between generations, technologies, and materials, a meditation on what holds us, and what we hold on to.

Artist
Caroline Ashley
b. 1979, Harlow

Title

Catching Reflections I & II

Date

2025

Medium

Mirror acrylic, steel, cord.

Dimensions
200x200x60cm