ALICE BURNHOPE
One of my key inspirations are rocks. I find geology fascinating, especially how rocks embody deep time and the incredible mineral qualities within them. There’s something grounding about realising we’re just a tiny blip in Earth’s history. I also love the physical connection between humans and nature—how the organic curves of our bodies mirror the landscapes of rocks and earth. While most of my artworks are not functional in the traditional sense, I do think about how materials carry meaning beyond their immediate form. How they hold stories, histories, and emotional weight within a space. I am drawn to the idea that art doesn’t always have to be confined to galleries; it can live in spaces where people interact with it daily, forming part of their personal narratives. I see my practice evolving in a way that considers how art can also be a lived experience, existing in dialogue with the spaces it inhabits.
My work is designed to be both artistic and functional. I love creating pieces that invite human touch and interaction, allowing them to be activated by presence and movement. It’s important to me that my work sparks wellbeing, connection to nature, sustainability, and a sense of empowerment. Because of this, many of my pieces are made for interior spaces, offering a moment of calm, reflection, or inspiration whenever the user needs it. Whether it’s a tactile wall hanging, a sculptural piece, or wearable art, I push my work to be something people can experience and connect with on a personal level.
Alice Burnhope is an award-winning sustainable and socially engaged textile artist and educator, specialising in participatory art, traditional craft techniques, and immersive installations. Based at Cockpit Studios, she creates tactile, interactive works that foster connection to nature, wellbeing, and community storytelling.
Alice holds a First-Class degree in Textiles: Innovation and Design from Loughborough University and was awarded the prestigious Sarabande Foundation Scholarship, founded by Lee Alexander McQueen. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, with highlights including shows at The Embassy of Japan, Alexandra Palace, and ArtHouse Jersey.
Dedicated to making the arts accessible, Alice regularly collaborates with museums, galleries, and charities, working with diverse communities groups. She has led workshops and projects for institutions such as the Royal Academy of Arts, The British Museum, The Royal Horticultural Society, and Hampton Court Palace.
Through her socially engaged practice, Alice explores sustainability in textiles, repurposing reclaimed fabrics and natural dyes to create work that challenges wastefulness and champions resourcefulness. Her practice continues to evolve, driven by a passion for craft, education, and reimagining our connection to the natural world.
The process of making my artwork is very intuitive, sensory and process-driven. It always begins with an immersive sensory experience in nature, whether it’s a walk to my local park or traveling to seek out new wonders in nature. From here I record my experience through rubbings, sketches and photography which then help me inform the page composition, colours and texture of the artwork. Then back in the studio, I plan out all the stages of the process to make the artwork and let the artwork evolve through all these interactions. Normally, the plan of action is sourcing reclaimed fabrics, naturally dyeing them, drafting out patterns, pattern cutting the reclaimed fabrics and constructing them into tactile wallhanging, wearable art, installations or sculptures.
With my socially-engaged element, I normally run craft skill-sharing workshops which enable people to learn new techniques and project their creative voices upon the artwork through their new learnt skills. This ensures the artwork is embodied and organic and has social impact.
“I’m particularly drawn to reclaimed fabrics —they already have a history, a story woven into them. Instead of hiding that, I embrace it, reworking these materials into something new and meaningful while letting glimpses of their past shine through. It’s like giving them a second life, filled with fresh purpose and creativity”
