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August 3, 2024 In

Life You Like A Prayer 2024

Embroidered shroud – macro photography transfer on reclaimed, pigment-dyed fabric, branches, leaves, butterflies, bird nest, feather-made bird, clay frog, soil
Installation size variable

Building on the idea of conversations between the known and unknown, possibility and stagnation and ultimately life and so-called death, this installation features a shroud as its focus.

The 226 x 112 cm l 89 x 44 in fabric piece is made from well-worn, reclaimed bedsheets hand-dyed with graphite and pigment, photo transfers of macro-photographed decaying plant-life hand-stitched with silk backing. It is suspended away from the wall and draped in front of a collection of tree branches, dried leaves, butterflies, stones, a bird nest with sleeping bird and a single clay frog who also appears to be sleeping.

Close to four hundred dots were embroidered with turquoise wool, spelling in braille the following lines from a poem by 13th-century mystic poet Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi.
‘I have come to drag you out of yourself and take you in my heart. I have come to bring out the beauty you never knew you had and lift you like a prayer to the sky.’

For me, these words encapsulate what it means to really see beneath and beyond the surface of our lives; to hold space for grief, loss and vulnerability; to embrace with all our senses the living and that which has passed on from the material world yet is held precious in our living memory.

 

 

Photography by Toni Hafkenscheid & the artist

August 3, 2024 In

I feel I know you 2023

Embroidered braille with wool, embroidery thread & string on reclaimed sheer curtain, driftwood Projected photograph
228.6 x 276.9 cm l 90 x 109 in

 

Through the embroidered braille phrase I feel I know you, there is a suggestion toward the sense of touch as one would use when reading braille. Each circular character is stitched to appear like a lush forest floor, highly tactile and evocative of something beyond the communication of the words it represents. On the opposite side, in embroidered cursive reads ‘I feel I know you too’, suggesting a response and an interwoven relationship between the known and unknown. It calls for use beyond the five surface senses to access our emotive sensibilities, drawing ourselves into more expansive, incorporeal realms.

With the projected floral shadows and gently moving light source combined with its semi-transparent fabric, this re-purposed sheer curtain also speaks to what may lay beyond our line of vision, delving into the realm of possibilities. From this piece there is an invitation to return to nature where immersive and healing experiences can provide us with further connection to each other and ourselves.

Within this piece is a personal reference to my mother who many years ago lost her eyesight first in one eye, then the other, yet through a number of meticulous surgeries, cumbersome post-op regimens and natural remedies, regained the ability to see albeit without centre acuity. Now in her mid-eighties she maintains a dedicated gardening routine, inspiring everyone who experiences her colourful, sprawling garden. Her love of nature, the healing arts and her skills with sewing and knitting continue to inspire my own creative journey and through this piece it is my wish that others may also find their way into the garden, the forest, the lakeshore and our wild, spectacular natural environment.

Photography by the artist & Toni Hafkenscheid