As I fold my son’s laundered clothes, the holes in the knees of his pants remind me of my childhood exploits, the falls that punctuated each adventure and the scars I carry from those accidents. My body and most often the knees of my pants would be repaired the same way: wash then patch (an iron-on patch for the pants and a Band-Aid for me). When things were more serious, stitches might be required for the body and the clothes would be discarded. Even then, darning and suturing leave a mark, a scar. Each pierces the substrate it is repairing, performing a modest violence upon what is to be mended, and reminding each of us of our sensitivity, vulnerability, and mortality.
Mend 9 2016 Embroidery on muslin. 17" x 13".
Mend 9 2016 Embroidery on muslin. 17" x 13". Detail.
Mend 8 2016 Embroidery on muslin. 17" x 13".
Mend 8 2016 Embroidery on muslin. 17" x 13". Detail.
Mend 7 2016 Embroidery on muslin. 17" x 13".
Mend 7 2016 Embroidery on muslin. 17" x 13". Detail.
From Within 2 2016 Embroidery on muslin. 33" x 75”.
From Within 2 2016 Embroidery on muslin. 33" x 75”. Detail.
Mend 6 2016 Embroidery on muslin. 17" x 13”.
Mend 6 2016 Embroidery on muslin. 17" x 13”. Detail.
Mend 5 2016 Embroidery on muslin. 17" x 13”.
Mend 5 2016 Embroidery on muslin. 17" x 13”. Detail.
Mend 4 2016 Embroidery on muslin. 17" x 13”.
Mend 4 2016 Embroidery on muslin. 17" x 13”. Detail.
From Within 2015 Embroidery on muslin. 75" x 33”.
From Within 2015 Embroidery on muslin. 75" x 33”. Detail.
Photographs of Mend 4 - 13 and From Within 1 and 2 by Tim Thayer.