Casey Whittier: Systems of Reliance – Beads, 2019-2020
Works in this section use single strand off loom bead weaving techniques to turn small parts into a larger whole. Each bead is handmade using earthenware clay. Deep Sigh was created as a meditation on the act of reviving craft. The original object (image included) was an anonymous unfinished craft piece that was passed to me. With no one to tell me what it was supposed to be or how it was to function, I decided that the best way to honor the past and its maker (who I consider to be an anonymous collaborator of mine) would be to learn from it. This object taught me how to bead weave, and in return, I created a series of wall hangings in honor of each of the elements of the original with a focus on the work and importance of repair and connections in craft history and culture.
Half of Living is Mourning is a hand-beaded bouquet made during the early months of the COVID 19 pandemic while in isolation. The work was my way of making an offering of hope and solace to my fellow humans at a time of deep loss and anxiety.
Deep Sigh / Short of Breath (how we hold together / when we fall apart), 2019, Ceramic, fishing line, Varies – 36 in x 42 in x 2 in. Photo Credit: T Maxwell Wagner
Half of Living is Mourning, 2020, Earthenware, fishing line, 3.5 in x 15 in x 24 in.Photo Credit: Brandon Forrest Frederick
