When We Talk

Date                                             2023

Material                                          Hand sewn gown, WWII/ Korean War era wool blankets.

Film photos by @lexibrownart , taken in Central Park a few blocks from my grandmothers home where my father grew up.

My grandmother was only five years old when World War II ended, and her family left what is now North Korea. She’s filled gaps in her memory from this journey with theory that has allowed these stories to stay alive. 

Blankets are made for comfort and warmth, whether they swaddle a baby or a soldier, their intention remains the same. Comfort is not often found in war, and the scratchy woolen textile used for military blankets doesn't lend much to comfort. But there is beauty in this textile. From it, I have extracted both conversation and comfort. The textile envelops me and my family, just as our stories do. And it is given new life, not stripped of its context, rather its context is carried with it as the blanket is placed in a new space and time.