By Theda Sandiford
Located in New York, NY
After taking a stroll through St. Georges Botanical Garden in St. Croix USVI this gold spray painted shopping cart part woven with webbed polyurethane ribbons, deconstructed Fresh Direct bags, bottle caps, vintage scarf, plastic grocery mesh and paracord came together.
“Using racial conflict as a starting point, I juxtaposes various fibers with a variety of found materials using free form weaving, coiling, knotting, wrapping and jewelry making techniques. Meticulously collected materials, transformed by their collective memory become “social fabric” weaving together contemporary issues and personal narratives.
100-foot extensions of rope, twine, and yarn impeccably wrapped, woven, tied and embellished with recycled beads, ribbon, lace, tape and bottle cap bobbles lures you into my hue-imbued, enmeshed installations symbolizing natural hair. These bold albeit whimsically twisted and locked forms gingerly invite the audience into off the-wall conversations about micro aggressions against black women and their hair.
Community art making is also key to my process. Multi-disciplinary experiences pairing people, food, wine, music and art, create a safe space to explore themes such as equity & inclusion, sustainability and personal wellbeing.”
-Theda Sandiford
Category
2010s Contemporary Theda Sandiford Sculptures