#FoodforThoughtCreativeQuarantine
Today's Hera artists Sonja Czekalski shares her #whatwomenwear project and what she has been thinking about during the pandemic.
In the midst of this global pandemic, quarantine, social distancing, virtual learning, and extra studio art time world that has been thrown at us I have been focusing my energy on creating and embedding positivity and inspiration to those I can reach. I have spent the last two weeks creating a virtual art curriculum… I have had fun taking on the challenge of this role. It has forced me to think of lessons and ways to teach that I do not think I ever would have otherwise.
I have been meditating, channeling, and spiritually connecting with others to spread positive energy and high vibrations across the nation. And of course I have been taking advantage of the privilege of all this extra studio time!
This week I finished the Self Portrait- Diana Corset for my MFA Spring Semester (pictured below). The corset is made from steel wire, gampi, kozo, and flax fibers, thread and yarn. The corset is a self portrait of the maiden goddess in myself and my past lives as well as the stories, archetypes, and stereotypes that I, my past lives, and my ancestors carry.
In display, Diana will be accompanied by a cloak, the mother goddess Self Portrait- Sehkmet… Sehkmet will greatly benefit from some more studio time!
To energize these pieces with my stories, my past lives, and the lives of my ancestors, I have created a web of women to write stories and share them with me. This idea started as a research project to channel specific stories into the garments I am making to represent how I wear the lives of the women around me. I wanted to use these wise words to empower the individual voice and demonstrate how that can inspire a collective.
However, it quickly turned into a much larger picture. I received a lot of responses letting me know that this writing prompt was not just empowering, but healing, thought provoking, and validating. After every letter I received, it seemed that I also received a “thank you for listening” letter. I decided that it could not just be me who was listening to these letters and stories, they were too important, too authentic, and too inspiring to be kept in a box in my studio. For this reason, I started a blog to share these stories and voices globally. I titled the blog #whatwomenwear (link below) to create greater access to reading and writing in the question “What do you carry or wear everyday as a woman?”
In this time where we are physically so far apart (at least 6 feet anyway!) I wanted to share this prompt to connect us closer together. I am honored to share these stories with you and I hope you share yours with me! You can send me a letter for the #whatwomenwear project at ...
Sonja Czekalski
35 Forest Ave
Cumberland R.I
02864
And read some of the letters already sent to me at this link!
Comments
I love the story behind your work and the idea of "past lives"