Lily Homer (MFA 2021)
My work combines industrial materials and fibers in various systematic manual processes such as crochet, hand embroidery, welding, and metal grinding. Some of the resulting objects are large, durable, and sculptural. Some are fragile and two-dimensional. Others are decorative, representational, or functional. All are the outcome of an intimate exploration of my chosen materials.
Intentionally reflecting methods used in global textile production, I strive to address and channel what has frequently been assigned as “women’s work,” explore the physical limitations of the materials, and communicate my own feelings of nervousness, unrest, and confusion into cohesive and controlled objects.
My work often confronts and ultimately rejects my own impulse to understand new information that seems to be ever changing and thus never actually certain or reliable. I aim to capture my momentary and flawed perception of the information represented by classifying it, translating it, and making it legible. Essentially, the results –– my answers to this confusion –– are influenced by my mood, level of anxiety, and patience at the time of their construction.
Through repetitious and methodical techniques, and using fiber as my instrument, I strive to quiet and tame my perceived reality. My works display the soft and fragile qualities of industrial materials and the capacity of handiwork to mediate disorder; accessing something beautiful but unquiet, where both control and unease find voice.