Following her winning submission for Seventh Circleβs open-call exhibition Renaissance earlier this year, local fibre artist Odette Campbell presents Under Construction, a bold new body of work sitting at the dynamic intersection of textiles, architecture, and political craft. As the recipient of Seventh Circleβs Directorβs Choice Award, a prize designed of a solo platform for regional talent, Campbell was awarded this exhibition to present her latest evolution as an artist.
Drawing inspiration from Bridget Riley, Black Country Type, and Bauhaus pioneer Anni Albers, Under Construction reimagines the historical language of 16th-century Italian Bargello needlepoint through the lens of West Midlands architecture. Geometric, wave-like stitches reinterpret the heavy lines, Brutalist concrete, and industrial weight of Birmingham and the Black Country, softening and warming rigid urban forms through thread, texture, and colour.
The exhibition reclaims traditional embroidery from historical domestic classification, repositioning it as a scale-driven, architectural fine art practice. Marking a pivotal shift in Campbellβs methodology, deliberate dropped stitches, unravelling threads, exposed canvas, and loosened precision reflect an ongoing dialogue between urban growth, decay, and transformation, creating a visual bridge between contemporary West Midlands landscapes and historical textile references from Parham House.
"A city is never finished, and neither is a practice or a person," says artist Odette Campbell. "Under Construction reflects a step change for me, a conversation between structure and softness, labour and memory."
"When we launched Renaissance, the goal was to plant a flag for physical, human craft and make a genuine investment in local talent," says Marie Hutton, Gallery Director at Seventh Circle. "Odetteβs work brings an extraordinary visual tension between concrete and thread. Hosting her debut solo show is exactly what Seventh Circle was built for."
