NeedleXChange

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Sean Alistair, a Germany-based contemporary embroidery and textile art artist known for work that mixes beauty, chaos, identity and emotional honesty.
In this part, we move from the studio into parenthood. Sean talks about becoming a dad, the strange way men are praised for basic childcare, how having a baby interrupts and reshapes a creative life, and the difference between Sean Alistair the artist and Sean the dad. We also spin through Sean's cultural touchpoints, but the conversation was so good that I omitted to dig into Sean's artistic practice. So tune in next week for that part of the chat!
Links:
Website: seanalistair.com
Instagram: sean.alistair
Intro music is Main Line (Instrumental Version) by Torii Wolf via Epidemic Sound.
About NeedleXChange
An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.
Stay Connected
needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews
mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com
Social: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Sean Alistair, a Germany-based contemporary embroidery and textile art artist known for work that mixes beauty, chaos, identity and emotional honesty.
In this first part we focus on Into the Wild, the exhibition Sean curated to build community rather than simply put work on walls. We talk about diversity without tokenism, what it means to be an outsider artist, labels like queer, bipolar and textile artist, and how Sean thinks about making, destroying and remaking work as part of the same creative life.
Links:
Website: seanalistair.com
Instagram: sean.alistair
Intro music is Main Line (Instrumental Version) by Torii Wolf via Epidemic Sound.
About NeedleXChange
An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.
Stay Connected
needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews
mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com
Social: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Renan Estivan, a São Paulo-based contemporary embroidery and textile art artist known for queer tapestries that put the male body at their centre.
In this part we get into Maressia and Bataille's idea that the post-industrial body isn't allowed to rest, what slow work has taught Renan about his own queerness, why textile slips past the censors in ways photography doesn't, his current Marseille solo show L'Homme Renommé, and his cultural touchpoints.
Links:
Website: renanestivan.com
Instagram: renan.estivan
Intro music is Ordinary Love by Vicki Vox via Epidemic Sound.
About NeedleXChange
An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.
Stay Connected
needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews
mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com
Social: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Renan Estivan, a São Paulo-based contemporary embroidery and textile art artist known for queer tapestries that put the male body at their centre.
In Part 1 we get into his mum's Arraíolos rugs and the embroidery tradition she passed on, choosing design at UNESP over art, how the pandemic in Salvador collided with a pixel-art drawing to spark his first erotic cross stitch, his shift onto the tufting gun, and the Brazilian tapestry lineage running from Kennedy Bahia and Tropicália through Leonilson.
Links:
Website: renanestivan.com
Instagram: renan.estivan
Intro music is Ordinary Love by Vicki Vox via Epidemic Sound.
About NeedleXChange
An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.
Stay Connected
needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews
mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com
Social: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn

In this episode of NeedleXChange, I interview Shea Wilkinson, a contemporary embroidery and textile art artist known for switching mediums to protect their balance - and chasing the next beautiful pattern.
Shea talks candidly about quitting quilting “at the snap of a finger,” taking a two-year hiatus from art, and why felting became a healthier, slower practice - less addictive, less competition-driven, and more sustainable day to day.
We get into process and motivation (including using audiobooks to pull yourself into the studio), plus how parenthood sparked a new series idea: photographing soap bubbles up close as bifurcation/fractal landscapes. And yes - we end on sequins, shiny things, and the weirdly deep joy of sparkle.
Links:
Website: sheawilkinson.com
Intro music is Martyr by Nevin via Epidemic Sound.
About NeedleXChange
An artist interview podcast exploring contemporary embroidery and textile art. Hosted by Jamie "Mr X Stitch" Chalmers.
Stay Connected
needl.exchange | Newsletter: bit.ly/NeedleXChangeNews
mrxstitch.com | xstitchmag.com
Social: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | LinkedIn