Transforming threads of Life
Stitch on fabric is like a letter on paper; a collection of stitches makes a word, a sentence and ultimately a story.
And stories communicate what we value, they link past to present, they voice our concerns, our feelings, our dilemmas and all we feel is important to us and our world.
Story telling through the medium of stitch and cloth is nothing new. For centuries, mainly women but some men too, have been stitching their stories, many of them outpouring what had no acceptable stage other than through the secret canvas of cloth.
Background
I come from a Portuguese background where my female ancestors were confined to ‘women’s’ work. Cloth, thread and stitch was a much used medium for their documenting anything from their own hopeful wishes to shouting cries of anger and rebellion.
I carry the urge to continue this lineage of documentation with a particular interest in the transformational aspect of the process of stitching. As a clinical psychologist by profession I am fascinated by the possibility of transforming aspects of life that hinder fully alive and engaged living into alternatives that liberate the bonds of conditioning.
Transformation
Stitching can provide the opportunity to undergo a similar process of transformation, not only transforming the piece of cloth by making stitch marks but also, when done within certain therapeutic conditions, a parallel process of inner transformation can take place.
And so my work as an artist is inspired by this fascination and engagement with the human condition. Although some of my works are very personal and tell the story of my own process, my stance is that our threads of life are not that different from each other; we are all human, we all come into a world that is not of our making and at some stage we all grapple with how to deal with the ‘pack of cards’ we have inherited and are in our hands.
Gallery
You will find images of my work under the following headings:
