nostos

nostos: a home against the skin

Struts Gallery, Sackville, NB, 2019

nostos (n.) (from ancient Greek νόστος): to return home; a homecoming or homeward journey, esp. with reference to the myth of Odysseus. 

Nostos considers the idea of textiles as the first house of the body. The sewing patterns that clothe the wooden houses are molded to their form, as clothing shapes itself to the form of the body. Both houses and clothing offer us a sense of protection and shelter from the elements, as well as a visual parallel in the plans, patterns, and diagrams of their respective designs. As the first extension of our bodies, clothing provides an intimate, embodied architecture that functions as our second skin. The gentle rippling of the paper patterns in response to passing human movement references this proximity of clothes to skin, and the way our bodies move within them. These structures offer up a tangible experience of quiet shelter within the gallery, and a reflection on how we construct a sense of home.