Bonnie Peterson

Wedding Party Massacre
embroidery, hand and machine stitching on satin wedding skirt
40 x 60 in.

An incident in May 2004 in which US forces killed 45-47 civilians at a wedding party in western Iraq, is embroidered on the garment. The text is from two reports by Rory McCarthy in the Guardian Newspaper, London (used with permission).

This work was made using hand guided machine embroidery with rayon threads, on a satin wedding skirt. The skirt and backing netting was smashed under the machine’s presser foot during the process, creating a flattened skirt. When viewed against a light source, the folds and multiple layers of the skirt are visible. The back is covered with sheer fabrics so the bobbin stitching shows through. It is hand quilted.

© Bonnie Peterson