Assignment: compare / contrast/ or link the Reading of HOOPLA chapter 1 with one of these two articles as per the Announcement from today.
Prain, L., & Christenson, J. (2011). Hoopla: The art of unexpected embroidery. Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press.
Both the Hoopla chapter and the Artsy article note that fibre artists are challenging the notion that the only suitable content for embroidery consists of ducks in bonnets or scriptural verse. While traditional eurocentric content reinforced submissive femininity, contemporary artists embrace stitching as a means of representing imagery typically associated with commercial art and advertising, or work that lies outside the mainstream such as tattoo art, comic book art and even pornography.
Both readings emphasize the time that embroidery requires. Hoopla in particular communicates that it is about slowing down, being present, and sacrificing and investing your time. It endows one’s mark making with greater significance.
I was fascinated by the history of embroidery. Like Sarah, I mostly associated the medium with crossstitch or the fabric transfers my mom taught me to sew. I also thought of folk and indigenous cultures embellishing their clothing and textiles. I now have more respect for the meaning and messages communicated by such rituals.
I was excited to see the diverse methods and materials that have been used by different cultures. The Artsy article shows artists forging new paths, combining embroidery with painting, installation, 3D fabric art, and a variety of substrates. It shows that fibre art is a dynamic and thriving medium.