Paper Samplers & Pressed Memories
by Rhian Swierat
Paper Samplers: cloud forest. Polyester, silk thread, ink, crewel, and rayon thread on paper. 30 x 22 inches.
Paper Samplers: enjoy. Polyester, silk thread, and rayon thread on paper. 20.5 x 15 inches.
My work focuses on the recording of memory and making it tangible to others. My process is derived from the historical precedent of needlework samplers, using stitches to record the forms, patterns, and textures of my experiences of different places. This recording of memories is a tactile sense of place, not a photographic documentation. My aim is to capture the subject from a specific time and locale.
In Paper Samplers, process is prioritized over any drive towards a preconceived composition. Sewing has no shortcuts; you need to make every stitch to fill a space. Each piece becomes a conversation between me and the materials. What often starts in one direction will change as the layers build and affect each other. Nothing is solid, static, or whole. Like memories, the forms shift, fragment, intertwine, and evolve. The work is all hand-sewn using a mix of threads, depending on what is needed for the thickness of the layer or for the shine and vibrancy of the color.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, my work shifted slightly. I craved travel and mourned my ability to be in new places. Something I had always done when traveling was to collect and press wildflowers and plants along the way, saving these in sketchbooks. I found myself looking back at these collections. I realized that while the colors of the plants had faded over time, it was their original vibrant shades that my mind’s eye saw. This color shift fascinated me. For my Pressed Memories series, I have sewn these plants in both states—they are a recording of the life and death (pressing) of the flowers in stitch.
Pressed Memories: FR.2019. Polyester, silk thread, and rayon thread. 12 x 44 x 1 inches.
Pressed Memories: FR.2019. Detail.
Pressed Memories: BM.2020. Polyester, silk thread, and rayon thread. 14 x 52 x 1 inches.
Pressed Memories: BM.2020. Detail.
Rhian Swierat grew up in the Hudson Valley and is now based in Brooklyn, NY. She holds a BFA in graphic design from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her mom taught her embroidery as a child, sharing with her a love of textiles and patterns. Her work has been featured in notable shows throughout the United States, such as the Flat Rate Box Group Show, Modified Arts Gallery, Phoenix, AZ; SCALE, Deanna Evans Projects, Brooklyn, NY; and others. She’s also taken part in the Together, Separately Residency, Cel del Nord, Barcelona, Spain.
