Carry the Weight #6: Politics
Coiled basket with rocks; linen, goat hair, handspun wool, silk
Carry the Weight is a coiled basket series incorporating rocks in the design. The first four pieces in the series, begun in 2019, represented the weight of personal loss and family illness. My focus shifted from the personal to the communal once the pandemic changed our lives globally.
These pieces connect to the ancient technique of coiling and the traditional functionality of baskets, while symbolically carrying the weight of personal loss, the pandemic, political anxiety of the 2020 election, and the protests over racial injustice.
During the pandemic, I found solace and inspiration in my daily walks in the local reservation, as I observed the roots and rocks, the moss and fungi, and the changing of the seasons.
The rocks bound on the lid of #5 (Pandemic), represent the weight of sheltering in place. Handles, provided in #6 (Politics), aid lifting the 11 pounds of stacked rocks, which can be individually removed, while others remain fixed to the base. A triangular rock forms the unstable base of #7 (Protest), and smaller rocks inside have the tendency to spill out as the basket tips from the weight. Expressing the stresses of our time through imagery inspired by nature, has allowed me to maintain perspective and hope for the future.
Carry the Weight is a coiled basket series incorporating rocks in the design. The first four pieces in the series, begun in 2019, represented the weight of personal loss and family illness. My focus shifted from the personal to the communal once the pandemic changed our lives globally.
These pieces connect to the ancient technique of coiling and the traditional functionality of baskets, while symbolically carrying the weight of personal loss, the pandemic, political anxiety of the 2020 election, and the protests over racial injustice.
During the pandemic, I found solace and inspiration in my daily walks in the local reservation, as I observed the roots and rocks, the moss and fungi, and the changing of the seasons.
The rocks bound on the lid of #5 (Pandemic), represent the weight of sheltering in place. Handles, provided in #6 (Politics), aid lifting the 11 pounds of stacked rocks, which can be individually removed, while others remain fixed to the base. A triangular rock forms the unstable base of #7 (Protest), and smaller rocks inside have the tendency to spill out as the basket tips from the weight. Expressing the stresses of our time through imagery inspired by nature, has allowed me to maintain perspective and hope for the future.