Lace Pillow Cushion

In 2005 Borland was commissioned by East Ayrshire Council to create a new body of work relating to the rich social and industrial heritage of the region’s waning textile industry. As a teenager Borland had worked in the design section of a local textile mill and her experience of the lace making process, with its repeated patterns, has remained with her, feeding into her wider concerns with the cycle of life. Lace Pillow Cushions formed a part of Borland’s Repeat Patterns exhibition for the Dick Institute. Four lace pillows were cast from her own pregnant belly and partially wrapped in blankets. Placed protectively upon each are porcelain bobbins cast from human finger bones. The work reference life, both past and future, and the resilience required for the painstaking work carried out by the lace makers.