Eudaimonia, cotton embroidery floss on linen, 10″ x 57″, 2018
I spent a fair amount of time in 2018 hand-stitching while contemplating questions about happiness–both when living in Vancouver, BC and Bucklaw, Nova Scotia. This endevour resulted in a number of textile panels that I decided to put out there in the world in a show titled Eudaimonia.
About Eudaimonia
Eudaimonia, an old Greek word, is commonly translated as happiness or welfare, well-being, human flourishing or prosperity. The Stoics contemplated the eudaimonia question 2300 years ago and today many of us are still in search of the answer. I began my own inquiry by engaging in, and recording my routines for a year in 2017. The following year I hand-stitched my data set; and thus through dedicated hand work I asked myself:
What are the actions that contribute to a sense of well-being?
These hand-stitched pieces represent a personal research phase of the project. Out of this process-oriented work and after a cross-country move, it became clear that community and belonging are key factors contributing to well-being.
To emphasize that this is process-oriented work and that these are living tools for life (my life), all the edges of these pieces have been left unfinished. This is in contrast to the idea of how finished works (neatly finished & hung or matted and framed) are objectified and valued purely for aesthetics. This work will live in my studio space as reminder of the lessons learned and eventually rolled or folded into a box for future use/reading much like a scroll.
This work was exhibited at the Corridor Gallery, in Halifax NS, in February 2019.
Detail, Eudaimonia, cotton embroidery floss on linen, 10″ x 57″, 2018