Sending Out Spores
2006
Embroidery floss, Iron-on transfer, cloth and frames
How well do we know our homes? I view the home as one small circle that is part of a number of concentric circles that we have created to protect ourselves– layers of safety that start with a house alarm and end at homeland security laws. Inside these concentric circles sit different manifestations of the domestic/the home/the homeland. To me a house has always been a symbol of safety, as the homeland security act may embody safety to others, yet neither can create a truly safe space. The way mold infests houses is a metaphor for how little control we actually have over these protective structures and territories that we construct to keep ourselves safe. Some mold only irritates those who are allergic to it, while other types of mold are toxic and can cause cancer. Sending out Spores is a series of embroideries depicting microscopic images of mold. Each embroidery is of a different strain of mold, two are toxic and one is mostly harmless.
What we fear, not unlike mold, always has the possibility of inserting itself into the cracks and weaknesses of our protective structures and breaking it down from the inside out. Exposing that it is not walls or national boarders that keep us secure; and it is not necessarily other things trespassing those boundaries that are causing danger.