scarf of twenty-twenty-two (I honour what has shaped me), 2022

Acrylic yarn, wool, cotton, elastic, plastic ribbon, beads, buttons, tassel, sequins, gifted and heirloom jewellery, glass jar of herbs and dirt, mum's homespun yarn, hospital bracelet, hair

3 x 13 x 700 cm

This work was developed on Kaurna, Peramangk and

Narangga Countries

 

Location: DB7-05

 

 

Based in the Barossa Valley on Kaurna Land, Alexis Andersen’s work revolves around themes of personal documentation and remembrance. Through her intuitive practice, she desires to act as a witness to her own growth, preserving her memories and milestones in a physical object, knitted for the duration of the year, and incorporating found objects that have been collected, gifted, or inherited. Alexis sees this scarf as a memoir. She is inspired by the notion that the object, imbued with her experiences, can testify back to her the life they have lived in tandem.

 

Each stitch in this work represents an effort made to grow, small steps on an ever-winding path. Ugliness is encouraged, each mistake is embraced as part of the experience and, like the rings of a tree or layers of sedimentary rock, each new colour of yarn entombs her mistakes and grows through them.