Hope Chest
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Words are often tossed about carelessly without regard for the real meaning they convey. Micro-aggressions and verbal abuse add up to emotional abuse. My current body of work is an installation that surrounds the viewer with negative feedback, but it softens the effect through material and color choice, and it obscures the hurtful messaging by reversing it backwards. The embroidery of silver and gold threads on shimmering, pearlescent paper appears at first glance to be background noise. However, elements of damage from both the needle and the thread become visible upon closer inspection. The pieces contain messages which have been carefully, painfully commemorated through the sewing and mending process. Embroidery’s historic use as a specimen of achievement demands such time and attention that its efforts are internalized by those who make it. The language of the pieces is hidden in shame, but it is also displayed in defiance.
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Creative Arts and Research Symposium