Shroud studies
In my work, shrouds represent symbolic signifiers of impermanence, absence and presence of the body, and what is seen and Unseen within our material realm.
Earth Element: body as landscape. 2024 Jacquard loom weaving with hand embroidery cotton, silk embroidery floss, maple wood, earth Earth Element: body as landscape, detail. 2024 This textile piece is exploring earth elements as a reminder of the interconnected relationship humans have with more-than-human worlds (animal, plant, spirit, etc.). Oneness between human and more-than-human lives is indicated through the folds of the paper shroud mimicking the mountain range. This is also a reminder of cyclical life and death symbiosis, and that humans too, are a part of nature. This piece is wall-mounted in finished dimensions of a traditional shroud. Earth is laid at the base of the textile.
Bio shroud, with video shadow projection, 28" x 72". 2024 biomaterial textile: tulle, cotton, seaweed, kelp, human hair, branch Bio shroud, detail. 2024 Bio shroud, detail with video shadow projection. 2024 This bio-shroud is about entanglements and interspecies relationships. Long strands of my hair float in a sea, co-mingling with seaweed and kelp I gathered from Salish Sea shores and made into a bio-material textile. This piece will eventually decay over a long period of time leaving behind the remnants of salvaged tulle, a material often used for wedding gowns, veils, and tutus. This shroud has physical and visual weight that belies the suggestion of innocence and ephemeral qualities of the tulle, seaweed, kelp, and human hair that hang together in a suspended state.
Shroud study: reliquary, 40" x 15'. 2023 felted human hair on organic cotton, silk embroidery floss, vine branchShroud study: reliquary, detail. 2023Shroud study: reliquary. detail top half. 2023 "Shroud study: reliquary" is a gesture to my Irish relatives who sewed shrouds for their loved ones, women who bathed and prepared the bodies for viewing and the wakes. It consists of fragments of fabric I’ve patched back together, an echoing of the work of women’s hands throughout history, and the care and love that was given for the deceased one’s body. The shroud’s 15-foot length falls and pools on the floor and there’s human hair felted within it. I wanted to create a visceral reaction. The topic of death and loss isn’t comfortable for many people. I carefully stitched these panels together, 6-feet of felted hair that represents the human body.