Lethe Jumper (2017 ongoing)

If you drink from the river Lethe, you lose all memory of your life to that point and descend into a stupor. As my father slowly disappears, losing himself in the depths of dementia I have worked into this jumper of his, not repairing the holes but using it as keepsake for moments with him, feelings about him. I exacerbate the damage by washing it, losing more of the jumper each time. Loose threads entangle, felted areas appear, holes grow. Like spindrift blown from the crests of waves, we are buffeted by the waters of oblivion, drowning in forgetfulness.

The stitch work in this jumper is still ongoing and developing. It was shown as an ongoing work in the exhibition, The Conceptual Stitch (Nov-Dec 2022), curated by Jane Deering for the Concord Centre for the Visual Arts. The full e-catalogue is available in the link.