Piece of the Reel, 2015-16, paper receipts and embroidery thread

“Piece of the Reel” is a quilt/tapestry/research document made during my Fulbright research period in Dublin, Ireland from September 2015-June 2016. When I moved to Dublin, the only ‘art supples’ I took were needles, thread, and a small pair of surgical scissors. I expected that any potential substrates would appear as the journey commenced.

Immediately, paper became available in the form of receipts. This trash determined the design of the project – receipts were added as I acquired them, spiraling out from the first few receipts in the center.

The form was also influenced by my research of medieval pilgrimage. In the very beginning of this research, I encountered the labyrinth, an ancient symbol, but one that medieval Europeans recognized as a symbol of spiritual pilgrimage.

“Piece of the Reel” is a paper trail, a document of time and money spent, a record of transactions (both mundane and sentimental), a measure of my life in Dublin.