Forest Movements
Alena S.
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Every Saturday last year, I spent two hours at the studio cutting holes in a sheet of white butcher paper longer than two dinner tables. Close up, the combination of overly simplified nature motifs might appear disordered, but when you step back far enough, the abstract ovals and delicate slits form an organic pattern of negative space that almost looks like a cut of intricately knitted lace. Even after months of using the unwieldy Japanese swivel scalpel, I still hadn't completely mastered the art of fine paper cutting (the periodic slip of the hand is the culprit to more than a few scars on my thumb). Still, I fell in love with the practice. The repeated movements — sketch, cut, remove — were a physical representation of my subconscious as I isolated myself after quarantine, cutting out each uncomfortable thought in my mind as if they were simply pieces of paper to be disposed of and forgotten.
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Exploring and expressing my creativity enriches my memory processing. I'm able to capture the essence of a fleeting feeling or moment through physical materials, such as thread, glue, or wood.
