Death and Rebirth
May to September 2014
Materials
Dry bark, red thread and Simplicity sowing patterns.
Concept
This series was spontaneously created after a hike in the forest. I found this beautiful dry bark, the remains of an old dead tree.
This was the part of the tree where the branch had been connected to the trunk. It was disintegrating over time through a natural process of decomposition. Without pre-planning, I attached the bark to the Simplicity pattern, which I had bought some time before at a garage sale. I sewed the two together and created a flow of red thread that emerged from the bark's hole.
The outcome reminded me of giving birth - the pain, the blood, and the creation of something new.
At the same time, the bark symbolized death. Something new was born out of something dead.
The pattern was associated with a feminine archetype. I had an image in my mind of a young girl learning to sew her clothes, perhaps taught by her mother, following traditions and fashion, as well as other people’s ideas and directions.
This work symbolizes the death of some parts of me and the rebirth of others.
It is a painful and messy process, but it is also very hopeful and rewarding - a new beginning.