The exposing stitch : personal fears of childbearing

WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Britney Jo Carroll (Creator)
Institution
Western Carolina University (WCU )
Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
Advisor
Marya Roland

Abstract: My art work has evolved with a special interest in exploring gender roles. I want to push social boundaries with dynamic interactions between objects, images and viewers. “The Exposing Stitch: Personal Fears of Childbearing” is an inquiry into my apprehension about pregnancy. My investigation of this subject is manifested through the craft of functional garment making and embroidery. I create aprons, which are generally used to protect and conceal the body, and use them to expose each of my unspoken fears related to reproduction. Muslin has become a metaphor for my own skin and embroidery, a cathartic experience. I have used the monotonous process of stitching as a way to discharge the emotional tensions caused by my fears. I correlate the time spent laboring through this process to the gestation period of pregnancy. It is my intention not only to analyze myself through “The Exposing Stitch: Personal Fears of Childbearing” but to encourage the viewer to investigate his or her unspoken fears.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 2009
Keywords
Apron, Childbearing, Fears, Installation, Sculpture, Stitch
Subjects
Embroidery -- North Carolina
Pregnancy in art
Aprons
Fear in art

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