PRIVATE COMMONS Tapestry

Private Commons was inspired by the contradiction embedded in its own title. The phrase alludes to the British Enclosure Acts, which transformed common land into private property, exposing the absurdity of something being both “private” and “common” at once.

The piece emerged during a meditation retreat as a reflection on solitude. As the weaving evolved, the addition of copper washers shifted its meaning. Rather than simply holding the structure together, they became symbols of the fragile mechanisms through which systems connect, divide, and control.

I hope the viewer experiences a moment of uncertainty. At first, the tapestry appears serene and balanced, but a closer look reveals subtle tensions between openness and containment, connection and separation.

Textile is a medium historically associated with care, domestic life, and collective making. I’m interested in using these associations to address broader social and conceptual questions.