Meree Beti ميري بيطي (My Daughter)
In this project I have literally raided my mother’s closet, borrowing from her sari collection, to explore family memory and history, and the construction of hybrid identities in a diasporic context. Through the collection and use of found materials I’m focusing on female identity and how it is shaped by maternal narratives and histories translated through a crafting practice.
Castoff pieces of material are hand embroidered with phrases that act as a meditation on experiences shaped by place and heritage. They explore the relationship dynamics that arise from the juncture where traditions may be cutoff and what is lost when these histories and practices are broken off. The Saris, which are precious rather than castoff, are suspended from wooden hangers creating an immersive environment that speaks of an expanded version of my mother’s closet, wherein both future and past can be contemplated. Speakers within the saris play stories told by my grandmothers, they recall memories that connect their past and present. The recorded stories are a way of archiving family narratives that would otherwise be lost as women’s stories are not always given much attention. These pieces are meant to play together in the space creating an environment that is both tactile and dreamy.
The labour involved in my process is an important part of my practice, by teaching myself embroidery I am re-involving myself in a tradition of handicraft that was normally passed down mother to daughter. As these skills are not necessarily passed down in the same way they once were, my own practice will differ from tradition as I use embroidery to make statements - rather than embellishment - that are meant to be both humorous and subversive to pull at threads of truth that can be found in everyday life.