weaving waters: my dirt and yours (2019)

This long-distance collaboration with Appalachia-based weaver Jessica Green weaves together land and history. In a series of small rituals, I gathered soil and water from three sites where Santa Cruz’s historical Chinese communities lived and worked. I sent the dirt and water to Jessica, where she combined them with dirt from the land where she lives, integrating them into hand-woven textiles in the form of dyes and stains. The textiles are accompanied by a soundscape that layers written reflections onto sounds from the landscapes referenced in the work. For more extensive documentation of the process, please see https://mixingwaters.tumblr.com/tagged/weavingwaters, or click on the top three pictures below. Commissioned by curator Cara Hagan for My Place, Or Yours?