01. cripkerchiefs: tenderly yours
laser-engraved Moriki Kozo on Japanese tissue paper | 19” w x 25” h | 2022
[Alt-Text as Poetry] The intimate embrace of the warp and weft in textiles are like our crip care networks; each thread, every stitch, is made stronger by its interconnectedness to each other. A delicate interlocking of blue threads from a spectacular lace, enshrining the words ‘tenderly, tenderly.’ The lace unfurls from four points, opening up like freshly-picked wildflowers, their petals locked in the sleepy embrace of morning dew, resting on the rusted copper surface of the soil. The embroidered details feel tenuous as if breath could release the threads to dance in the current of a soft exhale. And yet, the boldness of the text grounds it, defiantly holding its place.
02. cripkerchiefs: a garland for patty
Laser-engraved Moriki Kozo, Oguni Kakishibugami, and Chiri Kozo tissue on heritage washi paper 37"w x 25"h | 2022
[Alt-Text as Poetry] A delicate scarf rests on a sheet of handmade paper suspended in the soft bed of fibres. An assemblage of warm ochres, fleshy pinks and the rich hue of persimmon baked in the heat of the afternoon sun, the scarf is warm and inviting, beckoning us closer. The textile edges are worn, only remnants of the salmon pink fringe remain. Despite the obvious wear, the piece feels loved, draped to showcase the interlocking fibres of the careful needlework. In the centre, a grayish-blue rectangle contrasts against the ochre's warmth, almost vibrating as the colours clash and integrate. 'WE DREAM OUT LOUD, WE DREAM WITHOUT SHAME, WE DREAM OF CRIP WORLDS TO HOLD AND BE HELD' emerges from the clattering of ochre and slate blue. An offering, a warm embrace, an invitation to dream.
03. cripkerchiefs: a threshold, a portal, you have arrived
laser-engraved Moriki Kozo on Japanese tissue paper | 19” w x 25” h | 2022
[Alt-Text as Poetry] Each handkerchief begs for slowness, a restful pause to soak up every detail and every stitch. ‘all of us, also’ sits on the surface of the warm persimmon paper, its rusty hue reminiscent of tarnished copper. The heat of the laser captured by the dark notes of black and coal that radiate across the surface of the textile. A loosely braided border enshrines the edges, coalescing into a whirling dance of rosettes at each corner. The weave of this linen is more overt, gently fraying and dissolving where the fibres were too overwrought by the laser. Held together only by the gentle embrace of the surrounding threads of the salmon pink tissue paper.