L’ecriture feminine, sewing/embroidery, creative writing and fine art
L’ecriture feminine
Focuses on the feminine body and the feelings emanating from it. It is about the connectedness of woman to her experience and portrayal of that. This leads to interpretation on many different levels and opposes simplicity of text. Words may be loaded with a back history, unique to women.
Sewing/embroidery
In the context of stitching, it may be that fragments of thoughts, feelings and perceptions are sewn together across the page or textile in such a way that they appear random, however in terms of women’s thoughts and feelings, they flow along a thread. Sewing themes in literature and women.
Creative Writing
The etymology of words is significant as they become loaded with cultural and societal impacts relevant to the timeframe of their use. Liminal Space in writing is the transition or threshold of changes to the character and story. (Point out the stitching between the hexagons, which is liminal space)
Look at the NO in the quilt; speaks about hidden messages in Quilts in the deep south for slaves usually a reversed image and how we came to know more about the pioneers by unpicking their quilts and piecing together the paper patterns used which were invariably letters from ‘home’ and Newspapers.
Fine Art
My work is a fragment of a quilt showing on one side 'letters to myself' and selected quotes from 3 novels and obscure words that were sewn (as in using the sewing machine as the writing tool) which relay another story and also a very subtle NO on the other side. Level 1 – ‘letters to myself – threads and stitches of my life’.
Level 2 – hidden pictures, a mixture of family images, book covers and related sewing imagery.
Level 3 – quotes from the 3 books, all related to sewing.
Level 4 – Hester Prynne, in The Scarlet Letter was never asked to embroider a virgin’s bridal veil. This level is silk organza with obscure words written on with a sewing machine. The meaning of these words reveal the story and success of my life. It is a virgin’s veil for Hester.
Level 5 – picked out with red thread are marks which make out the word NO
Level 6 – the stitching which links all the hexagons together is liminal space, which signifies a period of transformation or being on the threshold. This stitching is called Fagot stitch and this word is loaded with alternative meanings (bundle of sticks for fuel, offal food balls, gay person, and an embroidery stitch.
Level 7 – The hexagon pattern, is a traditional one used in quilts, it may also be called a honeycomb quilt. This refers to Bees, the Queen Bee (female) and the sustainability of Bees in nature.
Level 8 – Frame displays the quilt but contains it too, which relates to daily constraints faced by women
Level 9 – The quilt is binary, not one dimensional and at the same time although it is a quilt, it would be impractical as a quilt, this refers to the fluidity of thoughts and expressions.
Level 10 – The whole piece stands alone, unique and refers back to l’ecriture feminine and my ‘writing myself’.
These ‘discards’ are important because only together, with the hexagons from the quilt, can the complete story be read.
Meanings
Perpetuity - forever lasting; Vestigial - remaining; Pulchritudinous - beautiful; Sassy - lively; Perspicacious - sharp sighted; Abstruse - difficult; Ahimsa - compassionate; Assiduity - close attention; Dolorous - great sorrow; Neophyte - fledgling; Afflatus - creative impulse; Adamantine - unable to be broken; Cosmos of Muliebrity - world of woman; Orbit - passage; Myriad - multitude; Mal du siècle - disillusionment; Eros - love; Sedulity - diligent; Jouissance - pleasure; Aseity - self originated; Alacritous - Lively strong; Arcadian - simple rural life.
Like this section, Zhandra - the contrast between the colours is good. Suits the concept of stitching, I think, Noreen
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