Agoraphobic’s Handbag &
Mrs Patel’s Sari
Susie Freeman Collaborating With Liz Lee
with Mrs Patel and Helen Bridges
Susie and Liz have been collaborating since 1998,
When they won a Wellcome Trust Sci-Art Award.
Susie is a textile artist, and Liz is a family doctor.
Their collaborative project is entitled Pharmacopoeia.
Pills and medicines are incorporated into fabrics
using a process called pocket knitting.
For adorn, equip, Susie and Liz have produced
garments
for two people with acute medical conditions.
The participant’s tablets have been incorporated
into the fabric of the garment.
Agoraphobic’s Handbag was designed
for Helen Bridges
Susie and Liz designed the Sari for Mrs Patel.
Helen Bridges has had agoraphobia since 1988.
Agoraphobia is the fear of crowded or public spaces.
Helen takes a wide range of drugs, illustrated in the Handbag.
Mrs Patel has both osteoporosis and arthritis.
Since diagnosing a fracture in her hip, due to osteoporosis,
she has been fitted with a prosthetic hip.
She now has no pain from her hip, and can walk aided by a stick.
She does have constant arthritic pain in her back and knees.
Mrs Patel’s Sari is made from the tablets
she takes
for her arthritic pain and for her osteoporosis.
It also incorporates treatments for the drug’s side effects.
Many patients take ten or more tablets on a daily
basis.
Shown with the sari is an example of the type of prosthetic
That Mrs Patel wears.
© The City Gallery, Leicester and the artists: 2001
This site was built by Ju Gosling aka ju90 during an artist's residency at Oriel 31 in November 2001