Artists Statement
Julie Harris
         
     I use my artmaking as a way of exploring the personal, especially that which is often hidden.  My inspirations stem from art themes of the broken, the abandoned and the forgotten. 
     The materials used—timeless, worn cotton clothes that extend back to early industrial weaving and the supply and demand of the old plantations pre-dating the plastics era. The clothing is loaded with its own symbolic meaning.  The cloth suggests a skin-like reference, and with that all the vulnerability and toughness associated with a hide.  I work with thread and cloth as I love the metaphors that they hold, such as mending, repairing and connecting.  A thread is a line with a function; a thread binds, wraps, it ties. When manipulated and twisted together it becomes an object with strength, one that can offer warmth like a blanket or catch air like a kite. Thread can be turned into an object that is soft and comforting, and it can be woven or wrapped into one offering structure and protection. Thread connects, binds, winds, warms, strengthens, ensnares and unites. 
     I am also interested in materials that are old, used and worn.   The “Memory Threads” are made from thread and ephemeral materials—abandoned old photographs and clothing from days gone by.  I am interested in the stories that materials hold and who has touched them before.  I also love the fragility of the materials and how they must be handled with care.  The “Memory Threads” are memory catchers, something to hold onto and look after like the significant memories you don’t want to lose.  These remind me of fragments of memories that get lost.  I believe that our memories are what make us individuals.  I also enjoy how fragments of words can be seen in the “Memory Threads”.  I am starting to understand more about my own art-making as time goes on, and that art-making is a ritual with transitory abilities.  Objects can be transformed in the act of making.  My approach to my work is organic, a response to both emotions and material.  I let the pieces grow from the initial response and I enjoy watching it as it unfolds. 
     

Back to Top