The Politics of Lace in Kate Evans' Threads: From the Refugee Crisis (2017)

Kate Evans' 2017 comic Threads: From the Refugee Crisis chronicles her visits to the 'Jungle' refugee camp in Calais, where she volunteered with a group of other British nationals to help build shelters and offer general assistance to those in the camp. The comic is bookended with double-page spreads that depict traditional lace making processes. Calais is particularly famous for lace production and it is a trade that has long been the domain of women. In -addition, lace is used throughout the comic in the gutters of the pages. Using close textual and visual analysis, this article considers the use of lace throughout the comic. Beginning with a brief history of the fabric itself, it is argued that the use of lace provides a clear socio-political and cultural framework by which we can read the comic, positioning the -stories of refugees within representational frameworks governed by white, European artistic and cultural production. Moreover, the lace can be read as a metaphor for the geopolitical interactions which led to the massive displacement of people and, so, the creation of 'the Jungle'.