2916
Cotton Thread
65 cm x 60 cm x 9 cm
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
The work engages with the tensions between mechanised perfection and the vulnerability of the handmade. Comprising 2916 individually crafted tassels made from cotton thread and arranged in a 54 by 54 grid, the work focuses on the experience of repetition, tactile labour, and resistance to automation.
Each tassel is handmade by a process involving spinning the threads, cutting, tying, combing, attaching hooks, fastening to the board, and trimming to achieve neatness. This repetitive, almost meditative process mirrors the rhythm of industrial labour and the monotony of factory work, yet the human touch introduces subtle variations and imperfections into each element.
The strict grid layout and the limited palette of two thread colours, olive green and ivory, with the ivory forming an 18 by 18 square in the centre, evoke pixelation. This structural clarity contrasts with the softness and fragility of the cotton threads themselves, creating a dialogue between the rigid order of industrial systems and the organic qualities of handmade craft.
Moreover, the artwork is kinetic in a subtle way where the threads respond to human presence, gradually shifting and fraying over time. This introduces new errors and transformations, allowing the work to live and evolve beyond its initial creation. The work resonates with histories of labour, resilience, and the value of tactile knowledge systems. The grid, often a symbol of control and order, is softened and humanised through thread, suggesting how rigid frameworks can be bent and worn by persistent care and labour. Ultimately, 2916 offers a meditation on the fragility and resilience of the handmade in a digital age. It explores the complex relationship between order and error, permanence and impermanence, human and machine.