land and sky
a mythology of intercultural love stories
Through the solace of folktale and the power of quilting, Land and Sky explores the extraordinary power of love in breaking societal taboos. Steeped in a history of marginalisation, intercultural couples have often told their love stories subversively, through allegory and folktale. Woven within the words and imagery of Land and Sky are the lived experiences of four contemporary intercultural couples, each symbolised within one of the ancient elements of true Love: Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.
Land and Sky was created using completely handmade and cross-cultural processes: printmaking and sewing. Realised as a nine-layer silkscreen print on fabric, and embroidered into an unfolding story quilt, Land and Sky utilises the quilt as a powerful cross-cultural object of love, offering a collective mythology for all intercultural couples to feel emboldened by.
the making of land and sky
collaborating with couples
I gathered the experiences of four intercultural couples, ranging from relationships of 6 months to 25 years.
intercultural patterns
The imagery I created draws upon folk art. It incorporates symbols, patterns, and motifs from each couple's respective cultures, combining and transforming them to reflect their intercultural relationships.
silkscreen printing
Then I printed the story quilt using silkscreen print on fabric, resulting in a nine-layer screen print.
textiles and sewing
Finally, I assembled the story quilt using machine embroidery.
