Portfolio – CLARE SAMS

Exhibitions and Events

2023 Environmentalist in Residence – Suffolk Libraries

2023 ‘Self/Contained’ solo show – Level Best Gallery

2023 Yarn installation ‘The brain on drugs’ – Imperial College London

2022 ‘Summer of festivals’ banners – Barking and Dagenham council

2021 Resident artist – Victor Batte-Laye Foundation

2021 – Community Banner designer – Becontree Estate centenary

2020- Community knitting lead artist – Royal botanical gardens, Kew

2020- ‘Jaywick Under Sea’ Exterior installation – Jaywick Martelo Tower, Essex

2018- Guinness World record holder – ‘Worlds largest crochet hook’

2017 December – February ‘Fatberg’ installation , collaboration with Broa Sams, in association with Original Projects, Great Yarmouth

2017 “Human Loom’ Interactive art – Firstsite, Colchester

2017 ‘Threads of Connection’ Bernice Steinbaum Gallery – Miami, Florida

2016 Ipswich art school – gallery open exhibition

2015 Knitted genetic landscape – Kings College London

2015 January – Feb Knitting Fever – Minories Gallery

Nov – January 2015 Lacemakers – Orleans House Gallery,Twickenham

2014 UKHA – knitted textile awards finalist

2014 May – June- Stitching St Botolphs community tapestry

2014 January Group show ‘Birds of a Feather’ – The Minories Gallery, Colchester

2013 September Parallax Art Fair – Chelsea, London

2013 July ‘How did I get here?’ – Fabrications, London

2013 April Solo show – The Digby Gallery, The Mercury Theatre.

2013 February Artists residency – Central Saint Martins AIR and Islington Council

2012 September Artists residency – Studio Weave & Havering Borough Council

2012 August “On Tenterhooks” Yarn and wood based installation – The National Trusts Bourne Mill

2012 June National knit in public day – activities facilitated for firstsite gallery

April 2012 Exhibited work – ‘Pigeonhole project’ group show

2011 February Exhibited knitted works – ‘Open One’ group show in Colchester.

2008 November Series of three knitted works exhibited – Fabrications Textile gallery.

2006 May Exhibited “The Mole Man of Hackney” – Fabrications

2004 September Exhibited “Hackney Siege” – Spinning yarns Knit exhibition.

2004 March V&A Craft Rocks event – facilitating human knitting activity.

2003 November Exhibited machine and hand knitted work – “Hidden Art of Hackney”.

2002 Sixteen wall hangings – AIDS charity auction, South Africa.

1998- 1999 Styling and organising performance – “333” club ,Chats Palace.

1997 June “Stereo Eyes” Community Arts festival – London Fields

Colchester North 2021 Textile collage created during the Arable residency for the Victor Batte-Lay Foundation

Exterior textile installation at Jaywick Martello tower on the North Essex coast

Never say die 2020 (250mm x 300mm)

Wonderland 2019 (250mm x 300mm)

The worlds longest crochet hook

First shown at Firstsite gallery, Colchester.

The hook was officially verified by Guinness World records in June 2018, It is a fully functional hook, and needs custom made yarn due to the extreme width of the hook.

Fatberg 2017 9000 x 2000 x 2000mm Wood, recycled fabrics and other materials.

Fatberg exhibited at an ‘Original projects’ venue in Great Yarmouth. An immersive sewerage installation created using recycled materials.

Knitting Fever
Acrylic yarn, wood, metal 2m x 3m
2015

Knitting Fever tells the true story of the devastating floods that occurred in Cockermouth, UK in November 2009. The name of the piece comes form the name of the yarn store whose contents were strewn throughout the market town causing chaos and entanglement.