A Thread That Binds Us

Two new tapestry-based works by Amber Roper, created in response to research workshops exploring parents’ beliefs and concerns around mental health in families. A Thread That Binds Us is a series of two new works by textile and mixed media artist Amber Roper. These were commissioned by Bethlem Gallery as part of ‘Family Footsteps’, a collaborative research project with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London exploring intergenerational mental health and parents’ beliefs and concerns about mental wellbeing within families. Amber worked alongside parents in creative research workshops, incorporating processes of collaging and yarn wrapping, and exploring words emerging from conversations around lived experiences of mental health, using personal family photographs. These shared making sessions created space for reflection and dialogue, enabling participants to voice lived experiences of mental health across generations. Visitors are invited to add their own threads to extend this dialogue and become part of an evolving work. Each addition interlaces personal experience with collective memory - a reminder that mental health is shaped within relationships, and that understanding grows through shared acts of making. The exhibition is part of a wider programme exploring healthcare, equality and social justice, including public events and discussions in collaboration with researchers at King’s College London.