Odyssey

Alice Kettle’s Odyssey is a stitchedresponse to Homer’s epic poemThe Odyssey. The huge canvas,on the scale of a medievaltapestry, provides scope for thecinematic narrative to unfold,with two parts of the story beingtold in this single work.Kettle’s canvas shows thestitched figure of Odysseus onthe left and his wife Penelopeon the right, against a painterlyembroidered backdrop.The piece illustrates the storyof Odysseus’ journey home fromthe Trojan War, during whichPenelope attempts to protect herself from suitors until hisreturn. To do this she cunninglyagrees to accept one of them,but only after she has finishedweaving a burial shroud forOdysseus’ father, Laertes.However, each night she unpicksher work so that the shroud isnever finished.Kettle trained first as a painterand later studied textiles atGoldsmiths in London. She isnow celebrated for herexperimental work in themedium and is represented inmany public collections both inBritain and abroad.