This is She is the latest work by hand embroidery artist Fleur Webb, a horned escoffion headdress with medieval influence, made for the midwife of dreams and nightmares, the mischievous ruler of the fairies, Queen Mab. Fleur drew inspiration from the forests and woodlands where Mab is said to inhabit, reimagining the structures and textures through hand embroidery, textile and millinery techniques.

Queen Mab is a captivating character, first mentioned in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (1597) then being woven into Arthurian legend by artists, poets, composers and storytellers. Fleur combines this character with the small details of woodland beauty that very few people notice as they walk through a woodland grove; the dew-covered moss, the small clusters of turkey tail fungi fed by the dark and damp, the thicket of underbrush located off the path where few people tread. This is where Fleur believes Queen Mab resides.

Fleur's methods and processes originate from the use of heavily diverse textures, blurring the lines between what's nature and what's stitched; this is evident in her sculptural headpiece, This is She. Textile elements include the use of devoré and screen printing paired with ice and tray-dyeing to create a foundation for building texture. The edges of the headdress are adorned with crochet wire lace, which suspends moss agate stones along the wearer's forehead – stones that are said to be the precise size of Queen Mab’s physical form. Hand embroidery processes used include historic goldwork and a large amount of raised work, along with the haute couture method of tambour which is used to apply unorthodox materials, notably the artist's own hair. This is a nod to Mab’s notoriety for tangling the hair of maidens while they sleep. Furthermore, nestled amongst the machine-embroidered moss, you’ll find glycerine-preserved lichen gathered from these very woodlands.

In bringing this concept to life, Fleur's created a complex, ornamental headdress which evokes vulgarity with its shape and size but beauty through its meticulous hand-embroidered details. She would like the observer to view her piece as disconcerting, but be drawn in nonetheless by the small intricacies, brought forth by the hauntingly beautiful narrative of Queen Mab.

To build on new skills learnt during this degree, and embrace any opportunities that come.