Artist: Stephanie Romano
Project Title: ‘Stitching Memories of Those Lost’
Project Proposal: Through this residency project, I will create a sanctuary for myself and others to walk together and share grief. Together we will interact with the nature of the sculpture park, share memories and create artworks to nurture the process of healing from loss. I aim to create a multi-sensory experience for visitors as they enter and exit the park.
I will ask artists, friends, and family to hand stitch the names and memories of those they are grieving onto pieces of fabric using red embroidery thread. They will also be asked to record an audio memory via a dedicated phone number voicemail. The pieces of embroidered fabric will be joined and sewn together into long shawls of fabric which will be hung from the wooden house-like structure at the end of the Wildlife Sculpture Park. As visitors walk through the structure they will be surrounded by the hanging shawls, feeling their gentle touch as they are wrapped up inside of them much like an embrace. As visitors read the names from the shawls they will also listen to the audio memories played on speakers from above. I hope to create a celebration in sorrow for those lost but also joy for the memories that still remain.
