Naomi Walker

Blobby (I), Cross stitch (embroidery cotton on linen), 44cm x 26cm (embroidery approx. 5cm x 4cm) , £250 o.n.o.

"Blobby", Bargello (embroidery cotton on linen), 21cm x 26cm (embroidery approx. 5cm x 4.5cm), £250 o.n.o.

Blobbies (II + III), Cross stitch and Petit Point (embroidery cotton on linen), 30cm x 31cm (embroideries both approx. 5cm x 4cm), £350 o.n.o.

On the 26th Jan, 2023 an ebay listing for an original but unworn Mr Blobby suit closed at £62,101. I had followed the listing for a week, watching the numbers climb from the price of a nice watch, to the price of a nice car, to the price of a deposit on a nice house. Watching this madness unfurl suggested to me an aching nostalgia in the bidders, which seemed to develop into a collective need to share a joke. There was no way someone was going to pay that much... surely? I undertook these works as a response to my own nostalgia and need for connection to some of that joyful spontaneity which has felt out of reach for so long. Mr Blobby is an agent of chaos, allowing us all to live vicariously; he creates havoc and suffers no consequence, and smiles while he's doing it. The scale is very small, almost tiny, as a way of introducing his anarchy to a domestic setting in a small and manageable way. There are elements which aren't quite 'correct' (the scale, the centring, the cropping) but aren't quite disagreeable either - it's a pleasant and quiet reminder to be a bit silly. The connection to technology is subtle, but it is there - Blobby (I) and Blobbies (II + III) are inspired by the original ebay listing photos. "Blobby" is based on the waveform of a recording of Mr Blobby himself saying, "Blobby!". All research for these works had to come through a digital medium to be reinterpreted manually. On the 30th Jan, the winning bidder reneged on his promise to pay, and Mr Blobby remains unsold.

Artist Bio

I am a developing artist based in the North West of England, currently focusing my practice on colour, form, and materiality. I use traditional textile techniques to make figurative and sculptural works, but consider the use of textiles as simply my chosen medium rather than a statement of any kind. I have struggled for a long time with the idea that my Persistent Depressive Disorder should lead me to make works which are dark and heavy, but actually it is spotting the small absurdities and glimmer of unintentional humour in day-to-day life which has kept me going, and so has informed my more recent work, and brought an enjoyment back to creating it.