The Roads Well Traveled

The material used to construct this piece of artwork is crucial to understanding the deeper layers of meaning and thoughts displayed here for your consideration. 

The Roads Well Traveled is composed entirely from used clothing and thread.  What we choose to place on our bodies as clothing is an integral aspect of our cultural consciousness.  Think about the importance placed on clothing.  “You can tell a lot about a person by what they wear” is a readily understood statement often thrown around.  Then again think about the memories and associations we have with specific clothing. Think of all the first days of school, what you donned for your date, the first baptism or communion, a wedding dress.  

I believe the clothing we have is imbued with the discourses we have, the emotions and memories we create when we have worn them.  But what happens when those clothes are discarded or no longer in use? Do the stories and memories imbued into the fabric disappear?

I conceived this piece after the loss of my dearest grandmother. So for me there exists a more personal and emotional context even outside, or perhaps a part of what I have previously mentioned.  

I had brought my grandmother into my home to allow her to die in comfort and dignity.  After her passing I was left with her wardrobe and experienced strong emotional responses as I sifted through the clothes she chose.  Seeing one of her favorite shirts I was transported to a strong memory of her singing, yes, she was a woman who was always singing, but what was more pronounced by my memory was that I felt her love and presence.  Her discarded clothing was exuding the memories and feelings that only they could contain.