I’m working on a wall installation for the Forum at the Bellevue Arts Museum. It will be installed sometime in September or October and will coincide with the Fiber Biennial at the Museum. The following is the text from my initial proposal, above is my revised drawing, and below is a shot of the drawings at full size. The working title is Venus Fan, although I’m pretty sure I’m going to change that.

Venus Fan Proposal

I recently returned from a trip to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, where my family enjoyed amazing snorkeling just steps from our condo. The beginning of our stay was calm with blue skies and clear water, and we snorkeled through an underwater garden of corals and sea fans. Toward the end of our trip a storm blew in, strong winds lashing our windows and keeping me up with thoughts of hurricanes. The storm churned up the water and reduced visibility. Snorkeling in these choppy waters I saw these same sea fans, called Venus Fans, undulating dramatically with the waves. These fragile structures were much more flexible than I had imagined and stronger than they appeared. Later I found a sea fan washed up on the sand. What had been swaying under the water had hardened, its  delicate tracery of branching pattern brittle outside its natural environment.

Like all corals, sea fans are made up of tiny polyps that form colonies, one building upon another to create forms over time. Their ecosystems are fragile and are threatened by factors including climate change, ocean acidification, and agricultural runoff. We observe their beauty by becoming the alien in their world, floating above with snorkel and mask or diving deep while carrying our oxygen on our backs.

My proposal for the Forum at BAM is inspired by the Venus Fan. I will abstract the branching patterns, delicate tracery and graceful movement into a wall installation of seven sculptural forms. Using multiple surface design techniques I will create visual texture on rich fabrics including silks, velvets, rayons, and cottons. Reds, red-violets, and splashes of orange will reference the colors of the sea fan. Stitch will be used as both a structural element and for embellishment on the sculptural forms.