Installation-based quilts made of recycled bedsheet, eco-printed cotton and linen, and a blend of scrap fabric
Quilting is traditionally a domestic and feminine practice. My choice of working with fiber material aims to soften, balance, and bring in an element of comfort to complex bodily experiences like overstimulation and disassociation. Rooted in my series of work, Everything and Nothing, is the quiet and caring act of slow stitching and rearrangement, a process-based approach that counteracts and represents scenes of sensory and mental overload.
Coming from a place of personal experience, Everything and Nothing was inspired by the question, “What is it like to feel everything and nothing at the same time?” With the title, I want to acknowledge the weightiness of “being a body,” and to approach the topic of what it means to be human in our Western culture. Growing up as a missionary kid in Papua New Guinea, I experienced a very different pace of life, where one could walk out in nature and get where one needed to go without looking at a watch. I learned within my time in the States that the glorification of a rigorous environment requires us to reclaim restorative practice in our daily lives. My creative process is a rebellion for self-care by providing time to wander, reflect, and be in the moment. I hope my art inspires others to also reclaim their time and attention, so we can move forward in the face of chaos. Like the motion of the sewing machine, this work can be a reminder of the power in pausing and starting again
