In Butterfly Roots, I explored the juxtapositions of root and wing structures, noting their similarities and differences formally and abstractly relating to my life. I thought about how I have only lived in my homes and places for three to five years before moving and have traveled frequently. I feel that I have laid shallow roots and have relied on wings so often that at times they become a weight or burden.
I exemplified these sentiments using two prints, one more oriented to wings and one focusing on roots. They come together by overlapping and developing a language and landscape of my interactions with place and feeling. The final engineering communicates roots feeling above ground and wings being in the ground as a chaos of being grounded and unmoored. To communicate weight and lightness in another layer in the final garment, I added batting behind the piece and used fabric manipulated roots in front of the work to think about three dimensional properties of the garment and the subject matter.
The project was inspired by the dancer Loie Fuller who was in an early color film during the 20th century dancing in a butterfly garment. I made a similar garment in shape and engineered how the patterns and their placements on the body changed with movement in a garment. By physically moving in the garment, I discover limitations and freedoms in wearing the piece that complicate my interaction with the fabric as well as sense of home and belonging.
4 yds x 5 yds of Cotton Fabric dip dyed with MX Immersion dye and printed with illumination (mixed pigments with base, thiox, and soda ash). Batting was sewn underneath the garment and gathered strips of leftover fabric from shaping is appliquéd on the top surface.
Modeled by myself and documented by Aastha Kannan
A short video of my movement and experience of the garment
Process Drawings, Images, and Fabrics
