Symbolic Self (Josie)

The artist that I was inspired was through the assigned movie, Ghada Amer.  Her work was truly inspirational through her use of needlework as a feminist message to patriarchal society that women are reclaiming back their identity.  While I could extend to a lengthy paragraph on how her feminist approach through art has been transcending, what I found more inspirational was her use of threading and her technique to convey these messages.  As can be seen down below, her use of colorful or black threading can be visualized as rain as they drip down from the canvas.  This form of weight adds a new message to my mind as if the subjects are being oppressed down, but are still completely fine as they are all sewn up.  Sewing is a powerful tool as it is a representative of traditional customs that were assigned to women as a hobby, craft, or a mending project.  While Amer was using sewing as a way of reclaiming back her womanhood and using it for a higher meaning purpose, I wanted to use sewing to evoke "mending to completion" and "fixing" my identity.



In my own personal dialogue, I've always been a little hesitant when it comes to projects that ask to expose and express your true identity.  The reasoning behind my resistance is due to the fact that I greatly do not like to confide in people about my true feelings or showing that side of me.  In my head, I believe that revealing that side of vulnerability demonstrates weakness.  While I am a very boisterous and energetic individual who anyone can read like an open book, I seldom let people truly understand my own personal troubles.  Therefore I have created a very happy and neat facade behind the untidy and unruly side of me, and I find happiness through it!  Through my entire life, my cultural background has always forced me to be more beyond than perfect and to strive for a path of prosperity in all aspects of life.  However for the project, I wanted to let that arrogant and haughty side of me slip and create a piece that shows how "un-put together" I truly am.

The message that I want to convey is instability through the visual appearance of loose threads.  Through inspiration by Ghada Amer, I was anxious to use sewing materials to demonstrate how "un-put together" I am.  I wanted to use the sewing materials as a symbolism for "mending" as the medium is typically used to sew together pieces that were broken and make them brand new.  Thus, I wanted loose ends to drip out to visually demonstrate how I am still a work in progress in the need of being sewn up to completion.  This piece acts in deviance to my cultural/familial background that always explains to me that I must be "put-together", however in truth, I am still on the path of finding content in myself and figuring my identity.

While many may regard this piece to have a simple message and not be as revealing as one may have hoped, its a large milestone for me to affirm my messy and un-manageable side when I have kept up with trying to put my life together.