a labour of stitches

THIRD SHIFT, Saint John, NB, 2021

CB Nuit, Corner Brook, NL, 2021

a labour of stitches connects the traditionally public masculinized labour of work at sea and the historically private feminized labour of sewing and domestic making. Two 15-foot sails hang back to back from a tree, one white sail quilted in red thread, the other sail red stitched in white. These sails make an enclosure between them where a visitor can stand inside and feel the wind billowing around them. This sensation recalls both the sense of being at sea on a sailboat and that of being inside sheets and quilts at night. a labour of stitches uses the common material of cloth to join the ideas of travel by sea and travel by night in sleep, and to equate the value of these two uses and their making.

Support from THIRD SHIFT is gratefully acknowledged in the creation of this project.

Listen to an audio artist talk on a labour of stitches. A transcript of the talk is also available. Or, read a short interview here.