Midsummer Swatches
One month into my self-created residency of sorts in Bulgaria, I feel as if I am finally reconnecting with an environment that I have not visited for two years. Last summer, I was busy visiting colleges and universities with my twin boys, and now that this is sorted out, I have been able to pick up various threads that I neatly stashed away in our home in Sofia as well as the archive drawers of our small family foundation.
I am always inspired to discover old cloth swatches and paper ephemera that I have tucked away. These materials seem like relics from previous life chapters but also like soft modules for creating something new.
This season I have been experimenting with creating a textured dialogue between handmade collaged swatches and the vernacular architecture and green spaces of my neighborhood. This patchwork approach and attention to local terrain reminds me of certain ideas I have explored for my memoir project, The Other Upstate.
Sofia’s neighborhoods are resilient, and I like the way that vegetation is allowed to emerge from the sidewalk cracks and interlace with terrace window features.
Aerating this pojagi (wrapping cloth) on the apartment clothesline creates a soft curtain or patchworked, architectural scrim that catches the passage of light and shadow play throughout the day.
More to come as summer rolls onwards as well as site-specific documentation of these materials ‘upstate’ in the autumn, upon my return to the U.S.
[ all images © Abigail Doan studio ]
Also, feel free to follow the Haemimont Foundation to learn more about summer archiving and the development of our art, artifacts, and publications collection.
Beautiful!