Urban Retreat - Survival Jacket Commission & Survival Kit Bag Workshop, Art Gene, Barrow




Urban Retreat 

A series of artist commissions, activities and events exploring the edges of urbanism

"Artist Sophie Mellor spent two weeks as an urban wanderer relying on the kindness of strangers and the bounty of the land to house and feed her. Clothed in an especially designed survival jacket by Clare Thornton, she placed herself directly in Barrow's marginalised landscapes, investing in its use and beauty through her interactions with people and place."

As well as making the survival jacket for Sophie Mellor's urban wander, I ran a 'Survival Kit Bag' workshop. Participants brought along three essential items they needed to negotiate their environment. Items included mobiles, oatcakes, knife, spare socks, water bottle, lighter, chocolate, lipstick, guitar, inhaler. We each then made and customized a survival bag to hold our essential items.


Nine Trades of Dundee - Artist Commission




Artist No. 5 Clare Thornton - Tailor & Trimmer

In the Nine Trades of Dundee public art project, nine UK/Eire based artists/makers were commissioned by Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design to develop a project in their second ‘non-art’ trade.

I combined my skills as an artist and seamstress and took on the role of a traveling Tailor and Trimmer, gathering work stories and tools of the trade as I roved the city. A unique Trench Coat and Samples Book were the physical outcome of this process.

The bespoke garment, which I exhibited at Dundee Contemporary Arts/VRC and wore at the celebratory Final Gathering event embodied my encounters with the workers/work places in Dundee’s contemporary textile trade. The coat is now being accessioned into the city’s Mcmanus Museum permanent collection.

To research and develop the project I met with diverse textile workers and asked about the tools of their trade. This process involved a great deal of conversation and social history research. I was later able to draw on a wealth of local textile trade expertise to co-produce the garment. I established links with with three Dundee based textile related businesses Halley Stevensons (Waxed Cotton), Utopia Costumes and Cooper and McKenzie gents’ outfitters.

Girl Racer Rides Again!


Hosted by Tea & Make
Stitched Up - Victoria & Albert Museum
Friday 30th April 6:30pm - 10pm Free


Girl Racer The 1970's Atari style racing game just got crafty!

Clare Thornton’s fun interactive sewing contest presented during IgFest 2008
Winner Festival Award for Best Use of Technology
Race against the clock in a battle of skill and speed
The ultimate stitch off!


Economy of the Artist - New publication by Braço de Ferro


The Economy of the Artist
Featuring an interview with me
undertaken by Porto based artist/producer Isabel Carvalho
with whom I collaborated on a bookwork project Minor Breast

Performance Re-enactment Society, The Pigs of Today are the Hams of Tomorrow

Performance Re-enactment Society with Hugo Glendinning 

21st - 24th January 2010
Live Laboratory Symposium
Royal Williams Yard
Associate Curator Marina Abramovic 
Curator Paula Orrell
Plymouth Arts Centre



A collection of photographic images capturing participants memories of performance art. Created with Hugo Glendinning during The Pigs of Today are the Hams of Tomorrow. Exhibited at Plymouth Art Centre and touring to AFTERLIVE, Norwich Arts Centre.

Abramovic named this exhibition after the title of an essay by the eminent German critic Georg Jappe, a conceptual piece that challenged arts relation to politics. The title is very appropriate to the preservation of performance. Is the live art practice of today dead tomorrow? And does it needs to be dead, like meat, in order to be consumed? 

The Performance Re-enactment Society have examined the remains of live art today through diverse practice as research commissions. We are interested in the ways in which this strand of recent art history can be conserved, communicated and understood across generations and how we might do performance art history through practice. 

For our latest commission please see: http://clare-thornton.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/performing-documents-remake-arnolfini.html