Silence
Amy Wilson
Textiles, Framed
Machine and hand embroidery on linen; beads, thread, linen
2018
includes certificate of authenticity
This lace piece is referred to as “digital lace” – it was created with the assistance of a digital embroidery machine. The process starts with a drawing, which is then scanned into a computer. Stitches are then assigned, and the file is loaded to the sewing machine. The machine then carries out the assigned stitches (in some cases, tens of thousands of them) on water soluble paper. Small sections are printed at a time, then sewn together by hand to create the final piece. Once the piece is complete, it is soaked in water, which releases the water soluble paper, leaving only the thread – now lace. The beads are hand sewn and additional hand-working is done on both pieces.
The text is based on my personal diary entries. The images are those that often appear in my work – young girls, skulls, trees, natural things — and have been part of my overall visual vocabulary for many years. They’re narrative to a point, but the scenes are also meant to be ambiguous and to suggest moods and states of mind more than literal illustrations of stories.
