Thesis: Her Seeds Sewn By My Hand

My NYU thesis project, ‘Her Seeds Sewn by My Hand’ traces the contemplation of rugmaking as an image-making medium. This space between the digital and
physical realms grapples with a tangible urge to sense an image in a new way. I craft images by hand. Biomorphism as a central theme encompasses the essence of soft sculpture, the queer nude body, and nature into a unified art object. The exploration began with an illustrated concept and the unknowns of how to construct a life-scale concept into fruition; this is where the medium of soft sculpture such as rugs, hand-dyed fabrics, and sewn and stuffed objects came to life. Studying every line, leaf, and color became a meditative practice of sitting with one image and transcribing it in multiple visual languages. Countering the familiar urges to scroll to new images or feed the mind with more stimulation, I make art that requires patience, time, and calculation. Revisiting and reconstructing. Generating hand-tufted pixels as if I were a computer making a tapestry allowed for more intention and care. I would sit by my Abuelita while she crocheted blankets for young pregnant mothers and fell in love with textiles and this tradition of providing warmth or joy. My rugs in this project were hand sewn and punched to align with the title.