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We weave
We gather
We stitch


 

The unweaving
The ungathering
The unraveling


 

We reweave
We regather
We restitch


 

JESSICA BROWN
Artist Statement

 

“Leave Now” to “Stay Home”

In September 2019 they said, ‘Leave Now’. 

 

I floated in slow motion from room to room scanning in seconds the belongings I had gathered over a lifetime. I questioned what I should pack. What was important?

I remember thinking in those timeless moments that the only thing really important to me was the safety of the people I love.

 

The smell of smoke, sound of helicopters, flashing danger signs and blackened homes in our street a constant reminder that my sense of safety in my home had been lost. 

 

The packed bags sat alert and ready at our front door until the wildfires burnt out in January 2020. It was a long black summer.

 

In March 2020 when the virus was spreading like wildfire they said, ‘Stay home’. 

 

This work explores the journey from ‘Leave Now’ to ‘Stay home’ and questions how we navigate through the ‘new normal’ when our sense of safety and belonging has been lost and how we look to the natural world for guidance.

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