/ Artist's Statement

I work with mundane materials found around the home and sew, paint, scan or print with them to reflect on the trappings women may find themselves within in the domestic environment.  These materials are often discarded or overlooked – as may be the role of women in the home environment as cleaner, cook, wife, mother.  These roles being expected in society or within ones culture for the woman to accept as the norm.  These roles often conflict with inner desires or personal goals and roles such as artist or career.

I have printed and drawn with rooibos tea which suggests blood in the colour stains it makes.  These reflect further on themes such as domestic violence, period blood and abuse.  Whilst producing the art, multilayered meanings began to emerge.  

Rooibos was recently a news item because of a company in France trying to trademark the name. South African Rooibos Association argued that rooibos is a South African “thing” like real champagne comes from a place called Champagne and Columbian coffee from Columbia – so real rooibos should come from the Cape.  I found this interesting in that the notion of tea has colonial undercurrents with tea being widely associated with the English.  Therefore tea has political connotations, and as in the current rooibos debate, African tea was almost “colonized” out of its natural environment.

Many of my pieces are quilt-like and transform the mundane scraps into something personal and made-with-care.

The South African textile industry is overpowered by cheap imports. Locally-sourced and -manufactured goods are more expensive but do not carry the allure of the popular imported brands. Similarly, homemade and handmade items are not widely sought after or affordable - although they are often associated with reusing scraps due to a lack of finance. Home sewing is loaded with gender stereotypes of feminine domesticity as opposed to the cutting-edge, masculine working-world.