Ann Corley Silverman

Guild of Meaningmakers
handmade paper, knitted muslin, sewing pattern paper, wax, walnut
35 x 23 in. plus 48 in. knitting needles

Needlework is a quintessential gift from the hands. I have used it in my work as a shorthand metaphor for labor, by which I mean the engagement of our bodies with the material of the world. As physical labor has been socially devalued we have become more and more removed from the natural physical environment within which our societies are nestled. Labor that touches earth for food and touches materials for shelter and clothing is aligned with a reality of our existence. If meaning is structured to reflect reality then even the structures of our most dearly held beliefs must also share essential features of natural processes – most prominent among them being change and responsiveness to surrounding conditions. Meaning is a dynamical process of correlated constructions, knitting here is both metaphor for daily labor and praise for the products of that labor.

© Ann Corley Silverman