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Human Hair Embroideries
(The hair embroideries on pillowcases, as well as "Oubliette", were part of the "Pricked: Extreme Embroidery" exhibition at The Museum of Arts and Design in NYC.)
Believing that truth is often revealed in an intuitive, sentient manner, I choose content-appropriate, tactile materials, and seek to evoke an emotional, rather than intellectual, response to my work.
The early series of bed pillows embroidered with my own hair (and the hair of those once close to me) disclose nocturnal revelations. The embroidered mouth is positioned where the dreamer’s mouth would be, but this position also suggests the mouth of the subconscious, whispering into the ear of the dreamer. The scale and materials are intimate: the process of embroidery creates an intricate vision, composed of threads as fragile as those that make up our dreams. “Dream.” and “Threat of Heavy Weather” feature an open mouth revealing what is normally kept hidden, a psychological maelstrom. “My Young Lover” uses the hair of an ex-boyfriend, threading each hair through the pillowcase so it appears to “grow” out of the pillow to cascade around the embroidered ear and across the pillow. “Ebb.” uses human eyelashes that protrude from the surface of the pillow.
Some work is embroidered on fabric that is stretched under convex glass in a Victorian oval frame to emphasize the relic-like nature of the pieces. The most recent work features hair with especially strong significance: there is a suite of objects made from the hair that was on my head during the gestation period when I was carrying my daughter. Another work, "Une Femme D'Un Certain Age", is sewn with the grey hair of many women. Human hair is like the rings of a tree: it records periods of illness, stress, hormonal changes, etc. For that reason, I find it to the be the most potent art medium one could possibly use.
The repetitive act of embroidery seems to be made for calming worry... trying to tie things down, sew them in, make them stay. Embroidering with hair possesses its own unique intensity: each barely perceptible stitch is like a rosary bead, marking a tiny but ardent prayer whispered over and over.
(The hair embroideries on pillowcases, as well as "Oubliette", were part of the "Pricked: Extreme Embroidery" exhibition at The Museum of Arts and Design in NYC.)
Believing that truth is often revealed in an intuitive, sentient manner, I choose content-appropriate, tactile materials, and seek to evoke an emotional, rather than intellectual, response to my work.
The early series of bed pillows embroidered with my own hair (and the hair of those once close to me) disclose nocturnal revelations. The embroidered mouth is positioned where the dreamer’s mouth would be, but this position also suggests the mouth of the subconscious, whispering into the ear of the dreamer. The scale and materials are intimate: the process of embroidery creates an intricate vision, composed of threads as fragile as those that make up our dreams. “Dream.” and “Threat of Heavy Weather” feature an open mouth revealing what is normally kept hidden, a psychological maelstrom. “My Young Lover” uses the hair of an ex-boyfriend, threading each hair through the pillowcase so it appears to “grow” out of the pillow to cascade around the embroidered ear and across the pillow. “Ebb.” uses human eyelashes that protrude from the surface of the pillow.
Some work is embroidered on fabric that is stretched under convex glass in a Victorian oval frame to emphasize the relic-like nature of the pieces. The most recent work features hair with especially strong significance: there is a suite of objects made from the hair that was on my head during the gestation period when I was carrying my daughter, as well as work that gains potency from being sewn with the grey hair of many women.
The repetitive act of embroidery seems to be made for calming worry... trying to tie things down, sew them in, make them stay. Embroidering with hair possesses its own unique intensity: each barely perceptible stitch is like a rosary bead, marking a tiny but ardent prayer whispered over and over.