Harriet Riddell travels with her sewing machine pitching up in unusual locations from the informal settlements of Nairobi to the tea fields of the Himalayas. Through free motion embroidery she captures her surrounding environment and the people she meets.
Adventure, interaction and finding a deeper connection with people are key elements to each piece of Harriet’s work. Behind every ‘stitch’ lies a narrative of people, place and culture. Finding ways to power a sewing machine in remote locations as been an ongoing theme.
Harriet encourages her street audience to pedal a bicycle which generates electricity and powers the art. This increases the interaction between her, her subject and the art its self. Other times, batteries and solar panels are used to generate energy for her stitches.
InStitchYou started in 2012 at the University of Hertfordshire, Harriet created a body of work in local pubs, café’s and laundrettes (anywhere with a table, chair and plug) then after graduating, InStitchYou took to Greenwich market, festivals and art fair’s performing live Stitched Portraits, Stitching weddings and finding an intrepid spark with her sewing machine.
The pandemic gave Harriet the idea of stitching portraits live over Zoom. This allowed her to “travel” and hear stories from new people and stitch portraits from her home. This was such a success, Harriet continues to take portrait commissions over Zoom today and posts the artwork to you.
Life has changed again for Harriet since the birth of her first child in 2022. Harriet is currently working part-time whilst learning the new and exciting juggling act of being both artist and mother.
Harriet Riddell is represented by C+N Canepaneri Gallery - Milan/Genoa. For enquiries of art works please contact info@canepaneri.com.
View/download Harriet's CV in PDF format here.
Watch an overview talk on InStitchYou in the video below produced for the University of Hertfordshire
& keep scrolling down for Harriet's CV.
Watch an overview talk on InStitchYou in this video produced for the University of Hertfordshire
Born in UK. Lives and works in Hampshire, England.
Education| 2009-2012 | BA (1st Class degree Hons) Contemporary Applied Arts, University of Hertfordshire |
| 2024 | Daxi Wood Art Eco museum, Taoyuan Taiwan |
| 2023 | John Radcliff Hospital, Oxford, UK |
| 2019 | Studio Gallery, Oxford |
| 2016 | Textile Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany |
| The Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK | |
| 2015 | The Nehru Centre (Indian High Commission), London, UK |
| Kuona Trust, Nairobi, Kenya | |
| 2014 | Khoj, Delhi, India |
| 2013 | Hepsibah Gallery, London, UK |
| 2024 | Inspired By Knepp, Knepp Estate, UK |
| 2022 | Roma Arte in Nuvola, with C+N Gallery, Rome, IT |
| The Other Art Fair, London, UK | |
| 2021 | The Others Art Fair, with C+N Gallery, Turin, IT |
| Miart, with C+N Gallery, Milan, IT | |
| 2020 | Canepaneri Gallery Milan, IT |
| 2019 | NTU Art Centre, Dream Place, Taiwan |
| 2018 | Kim Sacks Gallery, Black and White, South Africa |
| 2017 | Drawing Today, Kunstverein Hochrhein, Bad Säckingen, Germany |
| Knit and Stitch Show, InStitchYou Gallery, UK | |
| GX Gallery, London, UK | |
| 2016 | Henley Royal Regatta, Stewards Enclosure Exhibition, UK |
| Affordable Art Fair, Bristol, UK | |
| GX Gallery, 40 by 40, London, UK | |
| Glastonbury Performing Arts Festival, UK | |
| 2015 | The Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, London UK |
| 2014 | Aiguille-en-fete, Paris, France |
| Art in Action, Oxfordshire, UK | |
| Urban Art Fair, London, UK | |
| Buskers Bern, Bern, Switzerland | |
| Kreative Dage, Fredericia, Denmark | |
| The Big Stitch, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford UK | |
| 2013 | Art in Action, New Comers, Waterperry, Oxfordshire, UK |
| New Designers, One Year On, Kensington, London, UK | |
| 2012 | New Designers, Kensington, London, UK |
| Graduate Show, University of Hertfordshire, UK |
| 2024 | Artist in Residence Daxi Wood Art Ecomuseum, Taiwan |
| 2023 | Bear Face Theatre – Artist-in-Residence, Eastleigh, UK |
| 2020 | Hoefli-7 Gallery, Artist in Residence, Schaffhausen, CH |
| 2019 | NTU Art Center, Taiwan, Artist-in-Residence |
| 2017 | UHGalleries, Hatfield, UK, Artist-in-Residence |
| #ScrubLife, Royal Borough of Kensington and Westminster Art Funding | |
| 2016 | Calcutta Rescue, Volunteer Charity, India, Artist-in-Residence |
| Affordable Art Fair, Bristol, Artist-in-Residence | |
| 2015 | Kuona Trust, Nairobi, Kenya, Artist-in-Residence |
| The Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, (Artist in Residence) London UK | |
| 2013 | New Designers, Winner of ‘One Year On Award’ |
| Arts Thread, Winston Churchill Portrait competition | |
| 2012 | New Designers, Winner of ‘Absolut Blank’ competition |
| 2024 | This is Me – PRU Community project for Grayson Perry Exhibition, Winchester UK |
| 2020 | JR Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust, Vaccination artwork, Oxford, UK |
| 2019 | National Trust Property, Public Engagement Project |
| Premier league Productions, Liverpool Football Club – Live Performance | |
| 2017 | UHGalleries, Hatfield, UK, Public Engagement Project |
| #ScrubLife, Royal Brompton Hospital, Community Project | |
| Super Slow Way, Pedal Power portraits on the Leeds and Liverpool canal | |
| Selfridges & co, London – Live Performance | |
| 2015 | Vienna Design Week (Cook), Austria, Live Documentation |
| Left Coast Bread and Butter Stitches, Blackpool, Community Project | |
| 2014 | India’s Fashion Week, Delhi India, Live Documentation in Stitch |
| BBC Worldwide, Showcase, Liverpool, UK, Portrait Project | |
| 2013 | Anthropologie, Chelsea, London, Portrait Project |
| InSite - Craftspace Birmingham, ‘Chain Reaction’ Community project | |
| 2012 | InSite - Craftspace Birmingham, ‘InStitchYou’ Community project |
