Unravelings

• Main Author: McConnell, Megan
• Format: Others
• Published: VCU Scholars Compass 2012
• Subjects: Textiles; fibers; narratives
• Online Access: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/2672; http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3671&context=etd

My work is a collection of narratives. Each one is the unfolding of the story of a person or thing. Several pieces are made up of objects that tell the story of their owners, giving clues to their lifestyles and experiences. I am interested in the story behind the things and people that I come across on a daily basis. For instance, what was housed in the drawers of the dresser I found in a thrift shop? Who drank from the milk bottle I now use as a vase? If I see a discarded toy on the street, I wonder what events led up to its abandonment. The way in which all of the represented objects and people are linked is left ambiguous, so that the viewer can create their own narrative. The more abstracted pieces are close-ups of objects. These pieces document the wearing away or fraying of something, telling many stories over several years, possibly portraying a wall that has been painted over many times, causing it to flake, or a shirt that has been worn to the point of disrepair.