Stitched Illustrations by Peter Crawley

Simplicity can be beautiful, and UK-based artist Peter Crawley endorses this truth in an audio-visual collection,  entitled Stitched Illustrations. Crawley uses white thread as his pen, illustrating hundreds of lines that collectively represent an audio pattern on a bright, red-orange background. First, small holes are pierced into the paper with a pin, and then the cotton thread is drawn through to create the artwork. The process is tedious but the end result is precise and exquisite, telling no secrets about Crawley’s efforts. Though these audio-visual pieces are visually less complex than Crawley’s architectural illustrations also produced through stitching, the abstracted sound visualization demonstrates just as much craftsmanship – if not more. A close look at the rows of parallel stitches reveals slight imperfections that reiterate the handiwork and instill personality into the piece. Each horizontal line represents one minute of audio, and the varying amplitudes of the sound signature invites onlookers to wonder what unseen scenario the piece is depicting. Through this effect, Crawley effortlessly presents an enigma that engages the imagination.