I use Animation and fashion to heal and deconstruct my colonial trauma. I do this by framing the rocky mountains of the southwest as a maternal figure to me. I wrap my rock formation inspired fabric manipulations around the body to highlight this relationship while giving movement and life to these large ancient forms through my animations.
I dye strips of material using tea and different herbs. Through this process I explore the different effects they have on the material. I allow the material to fold in and out on the body. My drawing and animation display my curvaceous croquis and create a landscape that reflects back onto the garment with its organic silhouettes and warm earth pinks.
Crocheting and piecing together strips imitates the different layers of the earth and I folded the material onto itself to represent the rocky mountains and how the tectonic plates converge in my homeland. I use my animation to show the fluid movement of the seemingly permanent shapes of these ancient rocks. They are shaped by our life force, water. This is intended to show how our earth lives and we must sustain it.
I am currently working on creating 3d rendered compositions that use textures from my textiles and paintings. I am also working on creating narratives through the use of costumes that take people’s unique bodies into consideration to honor and cherish our bodies that our ancestors gave us.
