arrangements
In this body of work, I have tried to sort out and make order of the most memorable social interactions and situations of the years since childhood. Having never “belonged” to any one particular group of friends in my youth, I have struggled to find the group of people whom I most “fit in” with in my adulthood. While family has always been a connection point, even those relationships have become strained the more I come into my own. I have moved around from one group of people to another, the whole time feeling more like an intimate stranger than a comrade. In my search for both personal identity and group identity, I have become accustomed to adapting to whatever group of people I am with at the moment. For these reasons, I still find myself without one cohesive identity.
However, I find comfort and release in my work by constantly arranging pieces in order to find the best organization or situation, the perfect quilt-like whole. When drawing, I make marks and intuitively begin to organize them. These drawings are then translated into two-dimensional fiber pieces and sculptures, where many elements of order and control already exist because of the nature of piecing small bits of fiber: cloth, book pages, vinyl, etc. For me, these quilt-related processes are means for reassurance of my place in society, and solidity in my visual expression.
