Connections is a monoprint that began with my poem ‘The capacity of friendship’ written for the FRIENDS exhibition. Its collagraph lines trace human relationships—at times, complex and messy, and others, reliable and long-lasting. But all connected. The stanza from the poem explores what it means to stay, to struggle, and to care, while the bold imagery represents two figures, one with arms outstretched to embrace or to offer respectful freedom, space, and breath to grow. The colour is strongest where they overlap creating an emotional narrative and a physical map of relationship, space and shared life.
Come, stand with me is a suspended sculptural poetry piece crafted from paper twine that gently moves in the breeze or at the touch of a viewer’s hand. Incorporating air-embroidered leaves and gauze bandage leaves—chosen as symbols of injury and healing—the artwork unfolds as the paper ends untwist into further leaf forms. Woven throughout are words and phrases from my poem ‘Oh, silly one’, in which a personified Earth laments humanity’s quest for dominance, control, and acquisition at the expense of its gifts. Rather than a linear narrative, the poetry is scattered, asking the viewer to linger, piece it together, and discover that true depth is only revealed to those who put in the effort.
What lies beneath takes the lines tracing relationships—with all their joy, messiness, complexity, and disaster—and raises them above the artwork so they cast shifting shadows depending on the light source, the time of day, and your position. Beneath it is a handwritten poem in Indian ink on fine handmade paper, displayed on its reverse side where the ink bleeds through. This reverse display serves as a physical metaphor for what we conceal in our relationships with each other and ourselves, reminding us that it takes time, effort, and courage to truly know someone. For those willing to look closely, the poem can be read—though it is backward and a blend of the visible and invisible, dependent on the strength of the ink. Housed in a deeper frame to accommodate the raised lines, the piece celebrates its message and honors my philosophy that the most profound insights are never found on the surface.
