Current exhibition
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HOW DOES THE OCEAN SAY FAREWELL
Erin R Miller 7.16.21 - 8.13.21 Opening Reception: Friday, July 16, 5-8 PM How Does The Ocean Say Farewell The intimate relationship we experience with cloth is unlike that of any other material we share our lives with. Many of my most powerful sensory memories are linked to textiles because they offer a grounding multi sensory experience. The way a curtain waves in the breeze and diffuses bright morning light. The aroma and texture of the boot of a brand new roller skate. The sensation of tucking yourself between freshly washed linens. Cloth is the foundation of my work as it is the foundation of how I experience the world. This work is a collection of memorable moments and events that have recognizably shaped my executive social functioning skills. Light plays a role in each piece present in the space, as it plays a role in the clarity of memories and moments each piece refers to. The installations feature prints of photographs I took with disposable cameras as a child, and are physical evidence of memories. A clear photograph from a low quality camera requires a still hand and abundant light, as a stable memory requires similar clarity. The white weavings are fragmented memories; rebuilt through personal photographs, digital collage and drawing. The imagery becomes inherent to the structure of the cloth while the process of translation further distorts the image. One cannot be without the other, the memory and the cloth. In daylight the weavings offer viewers vague textures and outlines, while in the dark they award compositions through a nostalgic phosphorescent glow. One may strain to make out clear details in the work, as I strain to recall clear details of these moments. The quilts are the building and loss of recent memories and relationships. Colored entirely with naturally derived pigments that I collect, each quilt is a collection of locational moments. Some natural colors will withstand centuries, while others are exceptionally fleeting. Each quilt will change over time, though it is not time that encourages the colors to shift, fade, or deepen, it is the clear, bright light. It waves Erin R Miller’s work explores the intimacy and fragility of the human relationship with cloth through a variety of textile and printmaking techniques. Her work is informed by social inequity, consumer culture, and her queer identity. She received her MFA in Fibers from Eastern Michigan University in and her BFA in Textiles from Kent State University and is currently Head of Weaving in the Student Craft department at Berea College. Her work has been exhibited internationally and her designs are in private collections throughout North America and the UK. |
