Affinity Quilt, 2017

cardboard boxes, thrifted pillowcases, and towels, 25 x 10 feet

What is the value of affinity spaces? Whose work is craft? Why is handwork not intelligent? How have affinity spaces created alternative forms of sociality and relationally that is necessary for progress?  I researched quilting bees, gendered affinity spaces that became revolutionary centers for social movements, and historical progress that leads to the segregation within the feminist movement. I worked with recycled cardboard boxes, fabric, and towels to build a room filled with triangular prisms, thereby creating a three-dimensional quilt. I created a space that looks rather dull from the outside, a space where the viewer needs to decide to enter. This is a reinstallation of this piece over one wall instead of five to re-imagine another form for the piece. The aesthetic of the quilt is inspired by my auditory processing disorder, which makes background noise loud for me. Environments, where there are many sounds layered on top of each other (such as soft music or people talking), is overwhelming for me. This environment demonstrates what background noise feels like to me.