Fleur Oakes is a lacemaker and three-dimensional embroiderer and has worked widely in the fashion and textile arts. Her focus with this work is the use of seventeenth century needlework techniques within a contemporary sculptural context. Organic structure forms the main theme of her studio work.
Fleur is also a member of the Art Worker’s Guild. Here she has a role in the ongoing promotion of the importance of craft in society. As part of a recent fellowship with the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Research Institute (VARI), she explored new ways to focus on their collections through the perspective of the craftsmen who made the objects.
Her role with the vascular surgery unit at St Mary’s Hospital, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, has led to the development of several textile models used for public engagement and medical education, as well as seminars bringing together clinicians, conservators, and artists from the visual and performing arts.