What is it that truly defines a sister, as opposed to a best friend, a brother, or a parent? I’ve found that sisterhood is an intricately collated experience that arises through the sharing of memory, life experiences, trust and commitment, which is not exclusive to the biological family. My final outcome uses a number of textile and typographic processes to explore the dual joys and frustrations of sisterhood, with language expressing tensions appearing as a cyanotype print on one side of the quilt, and language expressing the joys fabric painted and collaged on the other. The piece should be touched and folded to interact with all of the language, just as sister relationships are complex to understand when not experienced. A second piece uses knitting with the loose laddered knit transitioning into tighter, denser knit alongside embroidered language.
Sisters are always chosen; we are defined by what we share.