In 2001, Trevor Small suffered a brain injury and spent weeks in a coma, followed by two and a half years in Homerton Hospital in London. Doctors told his family he would not survive, but he gradually regained abilities such as walking, washing, dressing, and preparing small meals. With loss of left-side function, he learned to tie shoe-laces using one hand. He became involved with Headway East London and developed skills in dancing, cooking, and especially an arts room focused on stitching and embroidery. He uses weights and assistance to keep frames steady and manage needles. His multicolored chain-stitched designs often feature horses and jockeys, which have been exhibited in multiple galleries and included participation in the Royal Academy’s Making Space programme from 2023 to 2025.
"In 2001, Trevor Small experienced a brain injury and spent a few weeks in a coma. He stayed in Homerton Hospital in London for two and a half years, doctors told his family that he wasn't going to make it. Bit by bit, Trevor learned how to walk again, how to wash and dress, how to make a small meal. As he lost all use of his left hand side, he learned how to tie his shoe-laces with one hand."
"“I can't use my left arm so when I'm stitching I have to use something to keep the frame steady. I started using a brick in a bag when I was stitching at home and now in the studio I use a heavy book as a weight,” says Trevor. “I have staff and volunteers helping me to string the needles and tying them off. I was inspired by the studio staff to start off with my stitching. If it wasn't for them I would never have done it.”"
"“When Trevor first came to the studio, he looked through books and decided to give a crack at whatever he saw - the first thing he saw was a horse. It linked up perfectly with the toy horses he used to play with as a kid, or his beloved cowboy shows. And so, a bunch of his art revolves around horses and their jockeys, imaginatively stitched and coloured, galloping equestrians of patchwork. “People keep asking for my horses so I keep doing them!” says Trevor.”"
"“His horses have exhibited at Autograph Gallery, Barbican Curve Gallery and The Bomb Factory, Shoreditch - and a great pride of Trevor's was being a part of the Royal Academy's inaugural Making Space programme running from 2023-2025.”"
#brain-injury-recovery #textiles-and-embroidery #adaptive-arts #horses-and-equestrian-themes #headway-east-london
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