Concerning Home
Photos by Kurtis Walsh. Grenfell Art Gallery, Corner Brook, NL.
Artist Statement:
Concerning Home in its distillation, is about grief; grief for the loss of a way of life, of familial histories, collective memory, and a communal connection to the land. Comprised of text, textile and installation pieces, this body of work examines the essence of disintegration as a condensed representation of my exploration of home. This work links the materiality of textiles, geography of natural dyes and the format of the tartan around the matrix of the table.
I have been drawn to the use of natural dyes as a means of repurposing and remembering: giving a second life to the materials temporarily in their prime. The connections of natural dyes are a direct link to place and the
significance it holds. These weavings, napkins and table installation are all traces of histories, stories and past homes. Eventually these dye colours will continue to fade naturally, mimicking the act of holding onto memory or a connection: an ephemeral way of holding onto the past.
My practice searches for collective and personal perceptions of home, and how these guide the way we form connections with each other and the natural world around us. By examining the interconnected ties between place, memory, nature and home within the context of geographic or directional language, my work focused on the materiality of the objects and materials I engage with in nature. I am interested in finding home through community and connection to the land: how do we navigate the intricacies of care in small moments of interaction to foster a sense of belonging? How can collective and individual memory be preserved in ways of life we pass on to one another?
Concerning Home in its distillation, is about grief; grief for the loss of a way of life, of familial histories, collective memory, and a communal connection to the land. Comprised of text, textile and installation pieces, this body of work examines the essence of disintegration as a condensed representation of my exploration of home. This work links the materiality of textiles, geography of natural dyes and the format of the tartan around the matrix of the table.
I have been drawn to the use of natural dyes as a means of repurposing and remembering: giving a second life to the materials temporarily in their prime. The connections of natural dyes are a direct link to place and the
significance it holds. These weavings, napkins and table installation are all traces of histories, stories and past homes. Eventually these dye colours will continue to fade naturally, mimicking the act of holding onto memory or a connection: an ephemeral way of holding onto the past.
My practice searches for collective and personal perceptions of home, and how these guide the way we form connections with each other and the natural world around us. By examining the interconnected ties between place, memory, nature and home within the context of geographic or directional language, my work focused on the materiality of the objects and materials I engage with in nature. I am interested in finding home through community and connection to the land: how do we navigate the intricacies of care in small moments of interaction to foster a sense of belonging? How can collective and individual memory be preserved in ways of life we pass on to one another?
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