The Dress/Memory and Metaphor
The memory of a dress can trigger a visual image of someone we once were. Like an old photograph, the dress becomes a recollection of that “public persona”.
Throughout life, clothing has the ability to reflect a sense of self and the image you want to present to the world. As an artist, I have attempted to use the dress as a metaphor for the various stages of my life. In retrospect, I have chosen to recreate and reinvent who I was at a given time, with a choice of familiar or remembered “costumes”. I use the dress as sculpture, void of the figure, as a facade between my public and private self. Using very little color, the sculpture becomes ghostlike in quality - the ghosts of my former being.
Like the memory of a time and place, a dress can also stand as a metaphor of perceptions that you have had -who you once were and who you have become.
The work in this exhibition is a culmination of many years interpreting the various stages of a woman’s life. It is a journey to befriend all the people I once intended to be. I find by sharing my story, what is intimate becomes universal. It is not only a reflection of my past, but of the women that are inspirational components of my own life.
“The Ties that Bind”
Do they keep you grounded or should they set you free?
“False Illusions/Broken Dreams
A ballet costume, gray, tattered and worn. A one-time illusion of grandeur and filled with dreams as a dancer - now reduced to torn fragments of tulle.
“Sycamore Dress”
Like the tree, constantly shedding its outer layers, passed by every day and never noticed. Suddenly standing before you, an unforgettable beauty, within its heart - a nest.
“Portrait of My Mother”
Forever knitting mittens, for everyone she loves. A way to reach out to generations, holding their hands and warming their hearts.
“The Martyr”
A bodice of armour set upon charred stakes. Who among us has not felt as if they were a martyr, the ultimate “Joan of Arc” representation.
“Angel Baby and Other Such Facades”
A sweet “girl” dress, equipped with wings. Messages circle the hemline - “Children should be seen and not heard…If you do as you are told, you become angelic and everyone will love you.
“The Gift”
The artist’s hands elevating a christening dress, feathers pouring from the bottom. A gift handed down from mother to daughter, from both this world and another.
“Flower Girl”
Little girls who seem to float through a special occasion. A moment of innocence transcending gravity.
“Hope Chest”
A bodice opening up with all the hopes and dreams tucked neatly inside the chest - the Artist’s tools and sketchbooks along with doll images of children that may someday come.
“Radiant Bride”
Lit from below, a collection of silverware dangling within, chiming reminders of what once was important. A time when china patterns and a perfect dress would signify a perfect lifetime.
“Maternal Instinct”
A maternity dress filled with eggs. Hanging from the dress and pegged like laundry on a line, messages meant for the unborn child - releasing prayers to the wind.