When you go looking for me, I am not there : description by absence

- Crawford, Fiona

Title
When you go looking for me, I am not there : description by absence
Creator
Crawford, Fiona
Date
2020
Type
Text; Thesis; Masters
Identifier
http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/176302
Identifier
vital:15103
Abstract
When women don’t have access to public voices, their stories may be told through symbols and sewing, publicly viewed but understood only by an audience of intimates. My research builds upon my May 2016 residency in Assisi, Italy, and explores description through absence. Punto Assisi, an embroidery tradition predating the Renaissance, is still practised by women of Assisi. Uniquely, the subject matter is empty of detail. The negative space in Punto Assisi work can be seen as echoing the absence of information about the makers. Invisible and indispensable, women and their work have provided the fabric of human society throughout history, yet the names and faces of female artists and artisans are rarely documented. This embroidery style resonated with my interest in women's work and how ubiquitous and anonymous it is. Based on the concept of drawing with thread to manifest content, I explore description through absence, and honour the unknown makers of this art. Studio practice revealed insight into materiality, imagery, form design and palette. The haptic process of sewing gave insight into a universality of the experience of making, a connection crossing time, place and culture. The experience of the maker is highly individual and takes place in diverse contexts. The maker and their experience may be unknown, except to self, however the outcome, the product or the artwork may be indexical of a place, time or the maker, known or unknown. As such, unknown women makers have a presence in their works. The negative space in the uncoloured linen yields a presence and materiality that allows us to engage with what isn’t there. Absence is made material. Materiality, memory, narrative, and identity are themes emerging from this project. In my contemporary application of the style constraints yielded creative freedom. In absence, I found description.; Master of Arts (Visual and Performing Arts) (Research)
Publisher
Federation University Australia
Rights
All metadata describing materials held in, or linked to, the repository is freely available under a CC0 licence
Rights
Copyright Fiona Crawford
Rights
Open Access
Subject
Assisi Stitch; Punto Assisi; Contemporary Stitching; Contemporary Embroidery; Feminist Textiles; Textiles; Femmage; Unknown Women Artists; Absence; Materiality; Memory; Narrative, Identity
Full Text
Thesis Supervisor
Wilson, Carole
  • Hits: 4036
  • Visitors: 2885
  • Downloads: 135
Thumbnail File Description Size Format
SOURCE2 Australian Digital Thesis 10 MB Adobe Acrobat PDF