Trails sculpture prize finalist 2023: The girl who transitioned from a mouse to an elephant and back again


Materials: Scraps of thread, vintage cotton, glass beads, silk andstainless steel thread, copper thread, reflective glass thread, hand dyed silk fabric, vintage, kept and collected lace and feathers, wool (stuffing)
Dimensions: 110 x 135 x 140 mm

Fragments, kept and collected … a childhood memory. The threads we weave into stories that we share; the things we outwardly present to meet expectations; the costumes and masks we wear to protect ourselves. Past made present, woven together into a totem of strength and love.

________________________________________________________________________________

Shortlisted as finalist in the 2023 Trails Sculpture Prize ( Portland, South West Victoria).

In this work, I explore the intricate relationship between memory,identity, and the discarded remnants of our lives. I take forgotten scraps—vintage threads, textile remnants, and tangled fibers—and weave them together into totems of strength and love. This process serves as a metaphor for the complexities of our identities, reminding us that what we present to the world is often a careful construction of both intention and experience.

I employ two distinct techniques to create my fabric. The first involves formal crochet stitches, reflecting a practiced and deliberate approach to
craftsmanship. The second technique embraces a more organic method of tangling, weaving, and patching scraps together. This interplay between structured and freeform creation mirrors the malleability of our identities and the ways we reconstruct our memories: as past made present;

This work symbolises the various layers of identity we navigate. It examines the costumes and masks we wear in society, as well as the deeper,
often hidden threads that connect us to our past. Each piece invites contemplation on the stories we choose to share and those we keep concealed,
capturing the essence of who we are both on the surface and beneath. Through this exploration, I aim to celebrate the beauty found in the complexity of our
experiences, reminding us that every scrap, every memory, contributes to the fabric of our existence.