Textiled Becomings: Making from scratch,moving,performing and reflecting

Abstract

Textiled Becomings Making from scratch, moving, performing and reflecting Haya Cohen Griffith University To move is to create (with) sense. A body perceives through difference. A change in environment provokes a sensory event. (Manning, 2006) This paper was presented as a part of a panel on the Reflective Artist. As an arts practitioner, I understand how different arts forms provide various ways of reflecting on the relationship between body and environment. In the context of the World Dance Alliance Global Summit 2008, I feel that there is a strong overlap between the visual arts and dance through the importance of movement. The focus of my paper is on the ways in which the movements involved in the making - whether making textile, sculptures or painting - offer ways of knowing that are unique to each material process. I use my current art project, Textiled Becomings, to explore the links between movement, performance (or performativity) and material processes. Within this project the embodied significance of textile art is amplified through the process of making 'from scratch' in which I use raw materials such as cotton and seeds, to make my own yarns.