Emergence & Eclipse
In Lewis Carrol’s novel Alice in Wonderland, Alice has a curious encounter with a caterpillar who asks, “Who are you?”. Alice replies rather shyly, “I hardly know, sir, just at present—at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have changed several times since then”.
Emergence & Eclipse, 2022
Acrylic yarn, mixed wools
Each sculpture: 28 x 11 x 11 cm
Carrol emboldens the readers to observe our inner and outer worlds with the same sense of curiosity and acceptance of change. Dawn is inspired by her recent hobby of rearing tawny coster caterpillars to weave her own chrysalis. Emergence & Eclipse is a pair of fibre sculptures that challenges a binary way of perceiving life.
Rather than focusing on extremely blissful or despairing moments, this pair of chrysalides reminds the viewer to sit with uncertainty and inertia. During pupation, caterpillars release digestive enzymes which disintegrate its tissues before reassembling itself and forming the features of a butterfly. This symbol of rebirth reminds the audience to live through the questions before finding the answers; to experience life in its full spectrum and honour the uncomfortable in-betweens.
