The Story Behind “Dreamweaver,” or “La Tejedora de Sueños”
On July 1, the decision was made to move El Fresco gallery into its new location at Optica Lopez. Part of the discussions included what to do with the display boxes and mirrored walls that lined the interior, and I requested the opportunity to create a selfie wall and a large scale weaving positioned over the largest mirror in the new space.
The acquisition of materials for the piece began July 22. Knowing the amount of material I’d need to make a weaving of this size, not wanting to rely solely on yarn, and following my ethos of materials reuse led me to the Goodwill in Little Havana. The bedsheets acquired would be the basis of my work and on August 6 the floor loom was assembled and the work began.
Something happened as I ripped the sheets into strips and curated the colors, fabrics, and textures; the work of moving my hands along the warp and touching the weave as it came together started an intimate conversation, and the materials and I were in communication with one another. Thoughts wandered to the people who had slept on those sheets and crafting stories of them in my mind. It felt as if I was weaving together the dreams of an entire community. The idea that hours had been spent in these sheets-resting at the end of long days, crafting dreams and plans, moments of passion or exhaustion, that the sheets carried with them hopes and anxieties- felt like an exercise in unity and a love letter to Little Havana.
I was fulfilling my own dream of creating a large scale gallery weave by combining this craft with fabric once discarded that actively holds the dreams of others. My hope is that as the viewer sees themselves in my work and in front of the mirror, they can reflect on their own dreams and see these woven into the tapestry as well, somewhere in the midst of the layered colors.
Please tag me on IG if you take a selfie and add your dreams to ours.
Love,
@la_fibraa