On July 23, Florida-born artist Kellyann Marie hosted “Story Stitched in Fabric: A Textile Memory Workshop” at the Tett Centre. Limited to 20 people, the workshop gave participants the opportunity to tell stories through cyanotype and collage.
Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies at Queen’s, Marie consistently asks the question, “What can we know from doing that we can’t know just from writing or thinking?” Through the process of creating visual art, the workshop’s participants learned how to express feelings they may not have been able to any other way.
The small number of attendees lent itself well to the kind of crowd it drew in. Everyone was provided with name tags, and within minutes all the participants were on a first name basis, even if they were complete strangers. Always ready to spare a compliment or a pair of scissors, the event attracted pleasant people of all ages and backgrounds.
While participants collaged with fabric, Marie gave a brief tutorial on cyanotype, a photographic printing process that uses sunlight to produce images. The developing process took ten minutes, but it’s beginner-friendly enough that the entire set up could be done at home.
Kellyann guided the participants through the more technical parts of the process. With minimal rigidity, the artist’s personality was able to shine.
“I love working with cyanotype because it’s so easy to work with,” Marie said in an interview with The Journal. “Seven-year-olds can do it, and it’s beautiful.”
Marie provided templates for the cyanotype process while inspiring participants to use personal items, photos, or even their own art. This ensured that the event went beyond making art and became something more personal.
Through the process of meaning-making, even the pre-made templates became individualized. Participants were encouraged to look at the images and ask what they could mean to them.
The goal of meaning-making is to construct meaning from material to explain feelings too big to express with words. The workshop’s limited time frame may not have been long enough for everyone’s strongest emotions to be poured into their art, but like cyanotype, Marie wanted to give participants the means to apply this technique in their own time.
“[Meaning-making becomes a] digestible, possible task in the light of this huge impossible, life changing thing,” Marie said in an interview with The Journal. “Being able to meaning make is a big gift.”
The small group spent their evening making art out of fabric and glue as they shared their stories over refreshments and music.
Once the cyanotypes developed, the fabric needed to be rinsed and ironed so it could be used quickly. The completed pieces were used however the artist wanted. Most were cut out and pasted to their larger collages.
By the end of the night, even the most inexperienced artists had created something special. The final products are proof that expression goes beyond just words.
Participants left with a personalized work of art and the skills to continue exploring storytelling through art.
Tags
collage, Tett Centre, Textiles
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