2010
Materials: tapestry in wool on linen warp ‘Bound to Biology’ was inspired by observations as a textile arts student that my classmates would get so focused on their weaving that they resented having to leave their looms to visit the bathroom. When there were making mistakes in weaving, they would be so frustrated that they would go have a break, have something to eat, move around, and then return to their looms and the ‘weaving was easy’. We would talk about the irritation of having to deal with being a biological entity that needed to be taken care of. I wove the human gastrointestinal tract and put it in a business folder (with calculator built in) along with photographs of classmates grabbing bites to eat while working on their projects. Along with the photos, was a note my brother had written to himself that hung on their refrigerator. The note was to remind him to eat if he was feeling grumpy and tired, and to not take it out on people around him. The tapestry backing is a well-used kitchen cloth complete with holes and stains, selected because it is a visual reminder of the work that goes into feeding ourselves and others for whom we have feeding responsibility. The business folder to contain the piece was chosen because of the tension between meeting our biological needs for survival and commercial interests that can distract us from this reality.