In this body of work I begin with family heirlooms, personal keepsakes, and found objects that activate a familiar feeling. I try to create representations of the memories that surround these objects and give a physical presence to these memory traces from childhood. I utilize the physical act of making as a form of remembering through employing traditional domestic techniques that were once commonplace in my family. Rope making, embroidery, and lace tatting help me remember and feel connected to my childhood and family that I have lost. Like Victorian sentimental and mourning jewelry, I use my own hair as a material in my work. It is with my hair that I become physically tied to those recollections I mourn.
A Parents Label
A Parents Label, 2012
Childhood nightgown, human hair
19.5 × 30.5 in.
A Parents Label (detail), 2012
Childhood nightgown, human hair
19.5 × 30.5 in.
Cocktail Napkin
Cocktail Napkin, 2012
Napkin, human hair
5 × 5 in.
Cocktail Napkin (detail), 2012
Napkin, human hair
5 × 5 in.
Fractures
Fractures, 2012
Family porcelain, human hair
12 in.
Fractures (detail), 2012
Family porcelain, human hair
12 in.
Learning a Tradition
Learning A Tradition, 2012
Family heirloom, human hair
14 in.
Learning A Tradition (detail), 2012
Family heirloom, human hair
14 in.
Learning A Tradition (detail), 2012
Family heirloom, human hair
14 in.
Place Setting #1
Place Setting #1, 2012
Linen placemat, human hair
25 × 18 in.
Place Setting #1 (detail), 2012
Linen placemat, human hair
25 × 18 in.
Place Setting #2
Place Setting #2, 2012
Linen placemat, human hair
27 × 18 in.
Place Setting #2 (detail), 2012
Linen placemat, human hair
27 × 18 in.
The Things I Never Said
The Things I Never Said, 2012
Mother’s handkerchief, human hair
12 × 12 in.
The Things I Never Said (detail), 2012
Mother’s handkerchief, human hair
12 × 12 in.
The Things I Never Said (detail), 2012
Mother’s handkerchief, human hair
12 × 12 in.
Truth Statements
Truth Statements, 2012
Personal keepsake, human hair, found object
10.5 × 11.75 in.
Photography by Abby Johnson.