Canto Cutie - Volume 2

I think I was always interested in fiber
art. I remember teaching myself how to
crochet when I was little and making
little clothes for my dolls. I also
remember harassing my mom to learn
how to knit, so she could teach me how
to follow more complex patterns. I really
have my mom to thank for nurturing all
of my interests and supporting me in all
my artistic endeavors. My fiber practice
started early, and it just grew with me as
I got older, until I realized I could
(hopefully haha) make it into a career.
In your daily log of quarantine life, you
depicted how your father, a doctor, had
to undergo the process of quarantining
from your mother in their own house, by
hanging up a transparent plastic
curtain. The picture you've drawn of it is
very stark, a crazy reality. In May, just
two months a!er quarantine started in
the US, you created the clear vinyl shell
to be worn over your head. Are there any
parallels between these two
experiences?
I’m really glad you made that connection,
the vinyl shell was actually a direct
response to the experiences of my
parents. Every time I would facetime my
dad, my mom would wave hi from behind
the plastic curtain, and vice versa. They
would tell me how sad they were that they
couldn’t hug, or kiss, or even just eat
dinner together in the same room. It
made me think about how the things that
protect us physically, are hurting us
mentally. During a pandemic, it’s really
hard to toe that line between physical and
emotional needs. So that one moment my
parents described to me really inspired
me to think about all these things and
create the shell piece. We hide away in
our shell for safety, but we still look out
into the world, longing for connection.
facetime