by Dawn Patel | Dec 10, 2018 | ancestor dress, ancestry cloth, art, art as initiation, art is a mirror, art process, artist, awakening, Brilliant Stranger, embodiment, non-duality, performance, women's circles
This is the Cloak I began early this year, at that time I was calling it “Cape.” I went to an artist’s residency in Mexico with the intention of making a fiber cocoon, in which to perform my embodiment process. What I ended up making was a wearable...
by Dawn Patel | Oct 15, 2018 | ancestors, ancestry cloth, art as initiation, constraints of culture, initiation, initiation as art, performance, skeletons, structures of belief
This is the story of two initiations, one initiation into a World that has been created and decided by Fear, and one initiation into a Future that has Yet to be Created. Once, and once, and once again [within a time existing side by side with many other times]...
by Dawn Patel | Apr 15, 2017 | ancestor dress, ancestor dresses, ancestry cloth, ancestry clothing, art, art and nature, art is a hammer, art is a mirror, art is a needle and thread, art quotes, artist, artists journey, artists process
“Art is a mirror to nature.” ShakespeareHouse in the Woods 1989“Art is not a mirror held up to realitybut a hammer with which to shape it.” Bertolt BrechtThe Gulf Stream 1995“In a decaying society, art, if it is truthful, must also reflect decay. And...
by Dawn Patel | Jan 5, 2017 | allegorical painting, ancestors, ancestry cloth, art process, art therapy, artist, artists journey, artists process, buddhism, conquering fear, consciousness, dark times, darkness, india, mystery, usha
The Dark. A natural and essential part of our existence. Not evil. Not inferior. Deep. Forceful. Darkness is intense, and so widely misunderstood. Who has not used the word “darkness” to describe something ominous and...
by Dawn Patel | Dec 2, 2016 | ancestor dress, ancestor dresses, ancestry cloth, ancestry clothing, art, contemporary art, contemporary storytelling, gypsy, immigrant, indigenous culture, nomad, Standing Rock, surivivors, wearable art
Ancestry Cloth is an esoteric act, a symbolic act, a metaphor for the immigrant, for the nomad, for the wanderer. It is a daily meditation, weaving together a forgetful monochromatic present with the colors and patterns just beyond memory. When I’m cutting...
by Dawn Patel | Oct 5, 2016 | ancestor dress, ancestors, ancestry cloth, ancestry clothing, art, art process, Brilliant Stranger, dawn patel art, heritage, immigrant, india, indian immigrant, lineage, sari. saree, wearable art
To speak of Ancestors of to speak of the past in its human form. Dad leaving IndiaAn Ancestor Cape I finished this weekAll my life I’ve thought about India. Before I was born my father left on a ship. It set his life on a course that took him...
