Title, Year: Stand In For Home, 2009-2010
Dimensions: 8′ h x 8′ w x 4.5′ d (Dimensions Variable)
Medium/ Technique: Thread/ Machine Embroidery
* produced with the support of the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council
This installation is a thread rendering based on my kitchen table in my previous home. I am interested in the vulnerability of thread in relation to the home, as both things share qualities of fragility. Though susceptible to breaking or unravelling, thread demonstrates remarkable strength when stitched together—a duality that mirrors how domestic spaces can feel both very present and impermanent.
Making this piece required me to revisit, remember, and recreate a space that I called home but is no longer mine. The process involved reconstructing specific details from memory and photographs: the contours of the chairs and table, the details of the wallpaper and window. Through accumulated hours of stitching, I rebuilt the space by stitching onto water soluble fabric, translating three-dimensional forms into their flat embroidered equivalents.
The embroideries are hung from the ceiling at different depths to create the impression of a space. There is one ideal viewing position where the elements align to form a cohesive scene. Installing the work this way allows the pieces to move and sway with air currents, adding a kinetic quality to the static image of domestic life. The chairs and tables are lifted from the floor to hover, creating a ghost-like presence. Visitors can walk behind the work to view it from the reverse, where the shadows cast on the wall resemble pencil lines, further emphasizing the drawn quality of the installation.
This work has been included in the following exhibitions:
Exhibition and Workshop: Schweinfurth Art Center
Exhibition: Embroidered Environments @ Hub Gallery, Penn State University
Exhibition: Day Dream @ The Okotoks Art Gallery
Exhibition: Living Rooms @ The Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant
Exhibition: Rooms @ The Appalachian Center for Craft @ Tennessee Tech University
Exhibition: Embroidered Spaces @ The South Puget Sound Community College Gallery, Olympia, WA
Exhibition: Day Dream @ The Grenfell Gallery @ Memorial University, Corner Brook NL
Exhibition: Inside/Out @ The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art
Exhibition: Home Away from Home @ The Mary E. Black Gallery
