Nina Brabbins, RSN Degree Graduate 2018

Nina Brabbins graduated from the RSN Degree, BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery, in 2018, specialising in Textile Art. In her second and third year, she started to explore stitch in a more conceptual/broader term, combing it with experimental basket weaving. Her final collection of work was entitled ‘Sea Change’ which was the springboard for the direction her work has taken since graduation.

“My main focus has been to explore the connections between the human and natural worlds, or lack of connection. Looking at how this culminates in our disregard for the planet, resulting in the devastating plastic waste issues we are now faced with. This has led me to predominantly use reclaimed sea plastic/ghost nets collected from beaches in Wales, using stitch techniques such as needlelace combined with basketry techniques such as coil basketry, moving away from the traditional hand embroidery techniques I learnt at the RSN, but allowing them to influence new approaches.”

After Graduating, Nina took a short break from embroidery, although she was involved in Craftspace’s annual ‘In:Site Festival in 2018’ in the centre of Birmingham, as a Graduate Artist.  View more on YouTube . 

To raise awareness of environmental issues, Nina encouraged the public to contribute to an installation featuring her own large scale hand embroidered sculptures made from plastic waste collected from the city and the sea.

Nina continues; “After these few months off, I then took part in the Stroud Open Studio’s Festival in May 2019, exhibiting my work at the beautiful location of Woodchester Mansion.  However, I then became quite ill and was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which put my plans I had to start teaching workshops on hold for a few months. Then, in September 2019, I started teaching Coil Basketry workshops in Bristol, Stroud and Cirencester. This really got me back into my love of making, seeing the joy it can bring when shared with other people, but unfortunately Covid has put a stop to this for now.

“I currently have jewellery and baskets for sale which are made from sea plastic waste. They are available on the ‘We Make Bristol’ Online Shop, at ‘Studio 3’ Artists Gallery in Clevedon, at the Cove’s Christmas Market at the Tobacco Factory Bristol in December, and soon to be stocked at a new venture in Stroud.

“A lot of my jewellery incorporates old T-shirt material (as well as sea plastic) given to me by Stellen Jewellery studio, who recently featured me in their new blog – read here. 

“In the future, I would love to collaborate with other sustainable makers and crafters, and explore community arts and making, to bring creativity to everyone and help spread the message of our need to take action against climate change.”

We wish Nina every success in her dream to “keep making and properly start selling and showing my work.”

You can follow Nina through her Instagram page.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Degree in Hand Embroidery, reserve your place in our next Online Degree Open Day at 6pm on Thursday 10 December.