Meet Susie Carlino, Queen of Drapes

Bedfordshire is definitely not the first place that comes to mind when you think of artistry and creativity. It’s a very quiet, mundane county, scattered with barbershops, vape stores and chicken joints. And to be honest, it isn’t the ideal backdrop for artistic expression. But tucked away in the heart of Leighton Buzzard is a humble space that breaks this monotonous mould – Culture Co:LB.

It is here where textile artist and designer Susie Carlino is working on her labour of love – an intricate drapes installation that transforms the space into something entirely her own. Through a delicate blend of fabric and lights, Susie achieves a calm, immersive environment; an adaptable backdrop where visitors can lie beneath and soak up a unique ambience. She shares her appreciation for having the freedom to build something from scratch in a space that offers a completely blank canvas. “I love to create an installation that people passing through can stop and pause and be affected by,” she explains. “As my mum said, ‘You don’t get the feeling of the drapes in photos, but when you are in the space, then you feel the softness and the texture of what it is that you’ve done.’ So today, it’s me creating that. We’ve got a very angular space, and it’s an artist space where they have given me permission to do this walk-through installation to set up for the general public to show what textile art is really about.”

Susie describes her vision with quiet excitement – she is bringing new life to some recycled drapes and props, transforming them into something beautiful, elegant and calm. She sees her installation as a space to lie underneath and meditate, expressing that she would like to project onto it to really bring it to life, and spiral some pre-cut fabric in a rose or peony shape. The drapes will rise toward the centre and fall gently at the corners, forming a petal-like cave that invites you in. “For an artist to be given a blank canvas in a public space is just a dream,” she beams.

Susie was born in Bournemouth to an Italian father and a Geordie mother. Having moved around the country throughout her childhood, she describes her accent as “all over the place” – a reflection of the many places she’s called home. She moved to Newcastle when she was six years old, and then later moved to Redcar, an industrial seaside town in Cleveland, north of Yorkshire. Finally, she settled in Dunstable in 2002. It’s hardly surprising to learn that Susie has been creative for as long as she can remember. “When I was seven, my mum asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I remember her buying me all art stuff. I said to her, “I just want art stuff”. I had paints and papers, and I remember I did a ‘paint-by-numbers’, which was a disaster, because I’ve got no patience,” she laughs. Susie explains that she enjoyed O-Level art, and that her teacher let her go outside and paint during school time. She recalls a story where she went outside and painted a boat – at first, making it look shiny and brand new. But because it was a fishing boat, she grabbed a sponge and added grime and texture, giving it the weathered look it was meant to have. Susie states that she had always enjoyed art, but she never really felt like an artist. When she left school, there were no jobs or outlets that allowed her to express herself.

After getting a degree in Constructive Textile Design from the University of Middlesex, Susie ended up specialising in tapestry weaving, which she describes as a wonderful medium to work with, but too slow. After a few years of stumbling around London and getting involved with the party scene, Susie started working at The Marquee Club, which was a music venue in the heart of London’s West End, selling t-shirts and working behind the bar. It was there where she was watching in awe as her friend Simon was putting big backdrops up. After successfully convincing him to find her a job as a drapes girl at Halo Lighting, she finally felt like she found her place. “I always felt I wanted to be a craftsperson, rather than a fine artist. I wanted to have a craft, and my craft is textiles,” Susie explains. “I’ve been enjoying capturing light with texture, it’s really my thing. That’s why I struggle with things that are one-dimensional – I want you to walk in and feel it. Because fabrics do that. These fabrics will cushion the sound waves, and make it sound much softer. Sound guys used to love me because of that.”

When asked what advice she’d give to young people interested in exploring draping, Susie says, “Go for it. It’s physically demanding, hard work, but I love it. You get to be creative, and I’ve made a career out of being creative, which is such a rare thing these days. Reach for the stars. I was talking to a young lighting guy last week, and I told him to just do his best. Put your all into everything you do. People will see how hard you work, and then they trust you, and with that trust they will recommend you. Give them your all and you will be rewarded. There’s no half measures.”

Susie speaks about her love for Co:LB with heartfelt enthusiasm. “There’s people that just bring people together, and that’s what Co:LB is doing. They’re just bringing people together. They had dancers in. They’ve had a film crew in. It’s a big space. You don’t get big spaces anymore that you can use. You’ll get a tiny little hut at £40 an hour that you just can’t ever make enough money on hiring. You look at the theatre in Dunstable and it’s just old, recycled bands that sound alike. If you don’t support and give space for artists to try out things and experiment, you’re just going to be an old person’s town. That’s why this is so exciting. We’ve got some art going on in Bedfordshire…hooray!”

You can experience Susie Carlino’s installation at Culture Co:LB located at 28 High Street, Leighton Buzzard, running from 1st to the 24th of August 2025. With a Light and Sound Weekend 9th and 10th August.