Fondle Friendly

Textiles are inherently tactile. Fabrics are used to cover our bodies and environments to creatinge warmth and evokinge feeling. Texture and touch are crucial to my art practice and are the reason Ifor  working with fabric. All too often, the joy I take in creating the work is difficult to convey to the viewer through using only the sense of sight alone. It's the interplay in textures that sets textile art apart. The works in “Fondle Friendly” are to be experienced through the senses of  touch and movement.

The artworks come from the curiosity of exploring the insides and taboo areas of the human body in real life. Many of the pieces incorporate nerves, muscle structures and tendons inspired by medical illustrations. The familiarity of the bodily forms, bright colors and varied textures demand tactile investigation. Threads transform into blood vessels or nerves. Stripesd fabrics become muscle fiber.

As a sensei of Japanese flower arranging, I bring many of the traditional theories into my soft sculpture practice. A Japanese flower arranging axiom teaches that “when a flower is cut it dies, but through artful arranging it is brought back to life.”  I attempt to reanimate the “dead” fibers in my works by restoring their vitality and substance through arrangement.  I wish to extend an invitationwish to extend this capability to viewer to view my works not as bits of fabric but living objects. The viewer is able to interact with the work in a more intimate fashion by creating their own dynamicliving arrangements scenes.