artist statement

I Will Listen/Be There/Receive/Feel

I began this piece by picking out two themes that had emerged in the conversation with my witness Rabbit. The first being the importance of expecting some level of trauma in their line of work (providing support for sex workers on the Downtown Eastside), so that they can set themselves up well to receive it and can remain strong, unfazed, and able to continue. Like erosion on the beach, if you stand at the edge of the ocean you slowly sink into the sand unless you move; You must prepare yourself to know how to move to avoid sinking, while also knowing when to let yourself sink just a bit so that you can connect with, relate to, and provide spaces of trust for the people you are supporting.

The second theme we explored was the stories that remain with you, leaving a lasting impression, versus the things that “burn out” easily. What do you do with the things that stay? I began to think about the idea of burden bearing, of choosing to take on or carry a little bit of someone else’s burden that may weigh on you, even stretch & tear, and how there can be something beautiful in that, even in its difficulty; Using your relative place of safety & stability to create those spaces for others. In response to this conversation I crafted a bowl-like object using the motif of the patchwork quilt as a representation of a person, with many pieces & experiences making a whole, preparing that person for their work. Rabbit provided me with a poem about their work that was shredded and added to the clay, burning out in the kiln, with the titular repeated line from the poem written on the outside of the piece. The form of the piece demonstrates this idea of burden bearing, the way it can cause wear and can leave a lasting impression, creating a space to “listen/ be there/ receive/ feel” and to carry the stories of others when needed, while the red thread stands out as a reference to sex work and sexual violence. My hope with this piece is to honour the difficult yet vital work of burden bearing that my witness, and all who work in similar fields, have chosen to take on.

Vulnerability

This piece I approached focusing on the theme of vulnerability and boundaries that my witness Rabbit and I discussed. In our second conversation we talked about tensile strength, the limit at which steel stops being load bearing, to think about how much you can flex with a situation before it cracks you. We discussed the balance of creating trust with vulnerability and openness, while also having boundaries to protect yourself where needed – including not always needing to be the one who has to fix every problem, and instead acting as a way post and walking alongside a person only as far as you can. From this I created a 3 layered quilt “wall” that lets us into the interior structure of the quilt. The method of quilting 3 layers together was historically used to create extra padding for the body in medieval armour, representing here the setting up of protective layers to shield the soft and intimate inside layer. There is a tension between being strong & sure, while also being open, vulnerable, and able to feel, that seems to be integral to doing this type of work and remaining able to do it well. In the referencing of the quilt as a protective layer for the body I also highlight how the body is present & affected by all trauma, even trauma that is vicarious and not directly experienced. The red thread quilts the 3 layers together to close the gaps that allow us to see inside, while also spooling out into piles that invite us in. Along with more of Rabbit’s poem, some of which is written on the interior of the inner quilt layer, I have added the shredded notes I took from our conversation to the clay. The conversations I had with my witness required me to be vulnerable & open in new ways, and my desire with this piece is to create space for more vulnerable conversation that leads to justice, healing, and wholeness for those affected by sexualized violence.