Juliet Martin
Dinner Party
hand-woven and machine-made fabric, inkjet prints on fabric, fabric paint
20 x 32 in.
NFS
Bedroom Set
hand-woven and machine-made fabric, inkjet prints on fabric, fabric paint
19 x 19 in.
NFS
When I was 16, keeping distant meant one foot on the floor. That gaze, that kiss. Now I’m alone. My bedroom set is my new best friend. I sit on the bed with one foot on the floor. In a mask. My gaze is on a picture of you.
I look at my coffee table and think about touching your face. We last sat on the sofa just 6 inches apart. That was the rule.
I see furniture instead of people. All of my relationships are with my dining set. And fruit bowl. I look in my studio and stare at my desk. It looks me in the eyes.
I draw portraits of my apartment. The still life is the only life I have right now. I make end tables out of burlap, wallpaper out of scraps. I weave backgrounds because that is something I can touch.
I combine my handwoven fabric with store-bought samples to not forget what each has to offer. I use machine-made fabric because an assembly line is a luxury. When did I know touching your hand would be a hazard?
My household items remind me that I’m so lonely without you.
© Juliet Martin