'Alma'

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My biggest inspiration for this show was the ocean. Each piece was inspired by one beach that I have been to from around the world. Brisa means Breeze, from the ocean. To feel the ocean breeze and breathe the salty air takes me back to all those beautiful places that I have visited and have great memories. I decided to name this show Alma because it means soul and what feeds my soul is certainly the ocean.
 

My macrame consists of different knot techniques made with 100% organic cotton cord, you don’t need anything else apart from your hands and the cords to make macramé, no tools required apart from scissors to cut the cords. With macramé you are able to turn cord rolls into frames, dresses, swings and so much more. For this show I explored different patterns and also 3 dimensional pieces which can be quite challenging as all the balance and structure needs to be considered. For the patterns, the most challenging part was to keep consistency of the strength of each knot and the gaps in between them so the final work is nice and even.

 

During my residency program I had the opportunity to experiment with large pieces which was both challenging and rewarding. During the process of those large pieces it was really satisfying to look at the pattern coming through at the top, and at the same time overwhelming to look at all the long cords crumbled together at the bottom. I related that to every life situation where we can choose to focus on the satisfying or the overwhelming perspective. Macrame requires a lot of patience and dedication as it has to be done knot by knot, sometimes working with cords as long as 13 meters, the biggest design from this show has approx. 700 meters of cord in only one design. I would say doing macramé, as well as staring at the ocean is very similar to meditation, you can go very far away without moving an inch from where you are.

 

Bella.