We are excited to announce Jodie Cooper as this year's selected artist for the East Midlands Railway Train Station Commission. Congratulations Jodie on such a strong application, we are really looking forward to working with you.
Jodie has chosen the theme 'looking out of a window' and is creating an embroidered tapestry made with watercolours and textiles that will be displayed in Sheffield Train station from January 2026.
This original commissions will explore Jodie’s personal experiences of travelling and the coping mechanisms that she uses to make travelling more comfortable and accessible.
1. Why did you submit an application for the Train Station commissions?
After finishing my degree in May this year, I was on the hunt for local opportunities and callouts to keep me creating and build my portfolio. Being a person with autism, sometimes creative opportunities are not fully accessible, and I thought this was a great opportunity I would love to be involved in, that not only gave me creative freedom but with support from a team that fully understood my needs.
2. What excites you most about the commission?
The commission is an incredible opportunity for my work to be seen by so many people and at this early stage of my career this is a really rare and huge accomplishment to add to my CV. I chose the theme 'looking out of a window' in the form of an embroidered tapestry, to both relate to the setting the artwork will be displayed, and my own coping mechanisms that make travelling more accessible. I am very honoured to be given this opportunity to highlight neurodivergent struggles in such a public setting.
3. Why are commissions like this important to artist?
Not only does this commission give my work the ability to be seen by so many people, it also gives me a platform to be able to highlight the importance of being aware and understanding of hidden disabilities and how this can affect people's everyday lives. As an emerging artist, commissions like this one are really helpful to gain connections in the local art community as well as gain skills that will help me with other commission work in the future.
4. What can we look forward too with your response to the commission?
For this commission I really took into consideration the placement of the piece being in the Train station and wanted to highlight travel from a neurodivergent perspective. With support from the Artworks Together team, information about the piece and the story behind it will be as accessible as possible, with easy read formats and audio description. My aim for this piece is to not only make a beautiful tapestry, but to use texture to create a sensory experience that you just can't get from pen and paper. Throughout the process of creating this piece, I will be creating a blog that goes through my process and shows how this piece will be created.
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