This piece is one of a series that emerged from a set of 100 letters written by my grandfather, whom I never met, while he was a young soldier serving in the US Army during World War I. He was a tailor and I, too, work creatively with my hands and fabrics. By placing his letters together with my fabrics, it’s as if we are in conversation in the current moment. My hope is to capture something about this lineage of hands, hearts and DNA. There are so many ways in which we are all in conversation with our past — whether it’s conscious or not. And what if this also means we can heal “backwards” in time?
This piece also reflects something about the nature of war and how we really can never have enough gratitude for those who have fought for us.
The small scale of the work underscores the intimate nature of this conversation and reflection.
This piece is one of a series that emerged from a set of 100 letters written by my grandfather, whom I never met, while he was a young soldier serving in the US Army during World War I. He was a tailor and I, too, work creatively with my hands and fabrics. By placing his letters together with my fabrics, it’s as if we are in conversation in the current moment. My hope is to capture something about this lineage of hands, hearts and DNA. There are so many ways in which we are all in conversation with our past — whether it’s conscious or not. And what if this also means we can heal “backwards” in time?
This piece also reflects something about the nature of war and how we really can never have enough gratitude for those who have fought for us.
The small scale of the work underscores the intimate nature of this conversation and reflection.