THE TEXTILES of Endless Second Chances
All the remnants are collected or donated utilitarian textiles of the home. Bed linens (pillowcases, sheets, spreads, dusters, mattress fabric), towels, (dish, face, hand), and hospital blankets have all been saved or used to the point of near disintegration but all well past their ability to perform for their intended use. The embroidery harkens to the history of each textile but also acts as a support to hold the textile together. While the focus on the body alludes to the role and “usefulness” of women as a function of being a parent or a member of the community, the discussion of how we approach saving and discarding and define use spans well beyond women. Like cloths that fray and fragment over time, so do we.
Utilitarian
Sourced from family and shelters. Dishtowels, rags, face cloths, table clothes, and bedspreads that were either saved but useless or about to be discarded.
Tunics
Sourced from family and shelters. Pillowcases are the main textile used to make the tunics. Larger tunics are constructed out of used / useless sheets.
Lighted
Tunics that have been given a “glow” through lighting. The internal light (glowing from belly or heart) illuminates stitching, the perfect and the imperfect simultaneously.
c Joanne Steinhardt 2024