Kali

HANOUX

 Artist Statement:

The process of decay and destruction created this wall hanging. While traveling this autumn in Northern California I developed a dying technique using water, fire, salt, plant matter, iron and time. Just days after I landed back in NYC the Camp Fire ravaged the arid land that I was living on and destroyed the beautiful landscape where I took inspiration for this piece. Now these fabrics have a different life, representing the destruction of nature and the eternal battle of fire and water. A reminder that nature will always bring our Earth back to balance even if it means complete destruction for a re-birth.

Naturally occurring wildfires do play an integral role in nature. They return nutrients to the soil by burning dead or decaying matter. They also act as a disinfectant, removing disease-ridden plants and harmful insects from a forest ecosystem. By burning through thick canopies and brushy undergrowth, wildfires allow sunlight to reach the forest floor, enabling a new generation of seedlings to grow. Our role is to keep the elements in balance so the destruction does not come to harm man kind and the habitats that we've built.

The process of this piece consists of collecting rusty objects and plant matter, allowing them to soak in a salt water solution for 1-2 weeks. Using silk fabric scraps I then arranged and wrapped the objects to set over a steaming pot of water until the color and pattern transfers to the silk; Forever capturing moments from the earth, colors and patterns from nature and objects left behind.

ARTIST BIO:

Hannah Jill Ross is a textile artist and apparel designer who creates from the Earth, infusing organic beauty and natural color into the urban environment. She explores representing the elemental forces through color and pattern on cloth, currently expanding her knowldege of all natural dying to incorporate it into HANOUX:: A limited edition collection of organic cotton clothing for movement featuring hand dyed shibori patterns. She has been studying fabric procceses over the past 10 years; Her education includes studying Fashion Design at Pratt Institue and Textile Design at Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen.