Global Fusion Music and Arts, in conjunction with the Constance Howard Gallery, Goldsmiths University, is pleased to present a retrospective of the work of Mary Ball (1922-2006). This exhibition consists of a collection of textiles by the artist and a series of performances incorporating some of her work.

Throughout her career as an independent artist, art teacher and a theatre facilitator Ball would dye, sew, cut up and reform fabrics to create bold, expressive textile works. She saw fabric as a means to push the boundaries of textiles, using them with sound, light and performance to explore colour and form.

Ball liked to imagine her work as a living, breathing entity and she involved many people from diverse creative backgrounds in live performances of her work. She often considered these works as a part of a larger, ever-changing performance.

Inspired by this, GFMA is excited to announce the first live performance with the works, directed by Stevie-Rose and accompanied by a soundscape created by Ethnomusicologist, Joanna Shiel. Several of the hangings will be placed onto sculpture, moved and manipulated against a backdrop of city-park sounds inspired by Ball’s love of Greenwich Park. The hangings will remain on the sculpture until the next performance, when they will come to life again.

The exhibition includes a selection of textiles, an accompanying film featuring the in Greenwich Park, archival sketchbooks and performance photographs.