The Absent Object, 2016. 12 x 16cm each. Silk, wool and thread.
Certain possessions carry strong associations and personal narratives that hold our histories and support our identity. Sometimes we only realise their importance once they are no longer in our possession. Despite the passage of time, they remain a potent symbol of a time, place, person, or experience that we continue to cherish.
The Absent Object was a collaborative project that asks, can other people’s memories be embedded at the making of a textile? Thirteen anonymous participants shared stories of previously cherished and now lost objects in the form of mark-making within custom-made booklets. These stories were then translated into small stitched and felted textiles that were returned to the story-tellers as mementos of their absent objects.
Image Credit: Hannah Moran