Samples
Liadin Cooke 2003

I made this series of small sketches when working on Ballroom (ornament) 2003, and looking at the wonderfully opulent plasterwork in the ballroom used for state receptions in the Irish Embassy, at Grosvenor Place in London.

They came out of my interest in samplers. I became aware of them as women’s work as a teenager where there were a couple at home and I have to admit I was never that interested in them - or should I say I was intrigued by the level of work that had to go into their making, but as actual objects I found them dull.

Later I became interested in the idea of the sample; that object which only shows a bit or part of something to give one an idea of a finished product. By calling the series Samples I wanted to put them beyond the merely decorative and show them as examples of a pattern or design for use in a format where a choice was possible. Displayed behind a sheet of Perspex they also reference how valued wallpapers and frescoed walls are often protected in grand house open to the public, implying a quick wipe down of greasy finger marks.