Collaborare Tapestry in Switzerland

Early this year of 2022, St. Gallen University in St. Gallen Switzerland contacted me to be the artist for their 51st Symposium. In alignment with the year’s theme, Collaborative Initiative, I asked the Symposium team to collaborate in creating a piece of art. For that reason, I also wanted to incorporate the historical importance of textiles as a part of St. Gallen’s heritage. Therefore, I found it apropos to integrate textiles into the work. This resulted in the production of over 250 Cyanotypes on cotton (representing my American ancestry) and linen (a symbol of St. Gallen). The 6 x 6 square cyanotypes are made up of photographs taken by the students and team along with my botanical and abstract contributions. Subsequently, the squares were then hand-sewn into a 64 x 98 tapestry. The laborious process of sewing by hand is a representation of Collaborare, the title of the piece, which literally means “to labor together”. The letters are an anastrophe of the word Collaborare, symbolizing the non-linear path which creativity can sometimes-and often- time takes.

The red yarn woven into the tapestry is an expression of passion and the blood running through our veins as a sign of our humanity. In addition, this passion is a symbol of the creative “spirit” which promotes new synapses, allowing one’s mind to expand and accept new ideas and concepts—the heart and key of collaboration.