My Material Memoir: Hands can Heal - Cloth can Care
Drawing upon the natural rhythms of the Earth as a guiding light; working with living materials I have homegrown, locally foraged and collected over time. From the act of growing, through to the process of making I am present, I am patient and I am evolving.
As I draw upon the toxicities I faced working within fashion, I have used the time for a personal challenge, in recovery from illness- slow textile craft becomes my most powerful tool in healing. Each textile exists as an individual artefact. And each work carries a pertinent symbol – a fragment of my restorative journey. Through embodied performance and artistic image creation, the cloth allows me to personally understand and universally express moving through healing.
These works are imbued with the power to carve out space within and merge between landscapes. They hold a place within art, design and craft. But most importantly hold a place where I exist and create authentically. Through making solely with my hands, these laborious processes demand time. Much like making, healing too is a slow and patient act. This work honours both time and craft that transcends textiles. Displaying the healing of our Earth, and repairing the damage we have inflicted, will, too take time, presence and patience.
Whilst this narrative may be born from a place of darkness, its intent is not to resonate sadness. Rather this is work of empowerment. Work that honours and upholds the temporality of all things in this life.
So let us move together magically, thoughtfully and akin- as one.
With thanks to Ruby Pluhar. Who journeyed with me. And together the cloth, my body and our Earth came to life in a way I never imagined possible.
