LOST AT SEA
2018 | W3M x H2M | INDIGO-DYED COTTON, BAMBOO, STEEL
The metaphor “lost at sea” is as ubiquitous as the sea itself, even if the original meaning has diminished. The fear of being washed into the merciless ravages of the ocean has enlivened the imagination of many writers, filmmakers and poets. When we hear the phrase “lost at sea”, we visualise images of destruction and wreckage. This piece invites the viewer to reimagine “getting lost” in relation to its counterpart, “being found”. Floating on the sea with no immediate reference point other than diminishing shades of blue, the viewer is invited to contemplate the empty horizon as a tranquil place full of opportunity and freedom.
To create the patterning in this shibori, long panels of cotton were rolled up around a cord and gathered into a ‘doughnut’ shape. The cotton bundles were dipped 2-4 times into the indigo vat. The outer layers absorb and oxidise to a deep shade of dense indigo blue. The mid-layers contain watery patterning, and the inner layers a bare whisper of palest blue. This piece uses recycled cotton.
