Date

Spring 2025

Exhibit Images

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Medium

textile and found object

Thesis Committee Chair

Lily Lee, MFA

Thesis Committee Members

Laurie Blakeslee, MFA

Kathleen Keys, PhD

Artist's Statement

In my practice, I explore the connection between identity and the spaces we call home, as well as the fleeting nature of childhood memories formed in those spaces. Memories shape who we are; our experiences and everything we have gone through contribute to our identities. Without memories, how can we truly understand ourselves? A significant focus of my work is the hollow sense of identity and the missing pieces of the self, driven by my personal experience with dissociative amnesia, a condition characterized by memory loss due to traumatic experiences.

The type of forgetting I describe did not happen all at once; rather, it was a repeated action that occurred over and over again. This idea of sustained and obsessive damage process has led me to unravel fabrics connected to domestic spaces. I am interested in the tactility of fiber, as well as its pervasiveness in our everyday lives. To create these pieces I remove portions of the weft, leaving areas of confusion and emptiness. I view this removal as a mark-making process, similar to drawing. The time-intensive nature of this work allows me to reflect on what these removed pieces signify, what it means to lose threads, memories, and parts of myself.

Once the deconstruction process is finished, I often sort the removed threads, or find myself wrapping them endlessly around objects. This further emphasizes the notion of obsession in my work and my need to make sense of the pieces that are lost. While it feels like a futile act, it seems to be all I can do. My memories likely will not return, and I don’t even know if I would want them to. It is better to occupy myself with something than to do nothing at all. In a more optimistic light, mending has also made its way into my practice. Re-weaving the removed weft of these fabrics simulates healing, or perhaps a false sense of healing. However, despite my best efforts, the scarred surface of the fabric will always be visible. Once it has been changed, it can never return to the way it once was.

Additional Information

Artists website: www.ashllart.com

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