Emily Singer
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Interwoven

Mary Jane Alden Rogers
My Great (4) Grandmother

Jane Perry Gruebel
My Great Grandmother

Ann McAllister Gruebel
My Grandmother

Jane Van Brocklin
My Grandmother

Gussie Finkenthal Singer
My Great Grandmother

Elanor Elizabeth Hay Shaw
My Great Grandmother

Effie Brown Perry
My Great Great Step Grandmother

Amy Gruebel Van Brocklin
My Mother

Rosena Sarney Gruebel
My Great Great Grandmother

Activities that began as a hobby have found their way into this body of photographic work. The use of crochet, knitting, and tatting, and fabrics create surfaces on which to print images using a variety of processes. This process began with a focus on the physical objects being created, which then shifted into the my ancestors’ involvement with these craft. This then morphed into my own involvement with the crafts as well as the process of creating what is being shown. By showing myself creating these pieces through self-portraits and images of my hands, the art forces the viewer to think of the duality of the pieces, having them view the exhibition both in progress through imagery and as a finished result in person.

The methods of printing these images also serves to further the idea of the relevancy of older techniques and practices, even in this modern age. The practice of knitting and crocheting began centuries ago, but it is still extremely popular today, despite the ease and ability to buy clothing. Similarly, despite the many modern advancements in technology, analog processes are once again gaining popularity. The majority of these pieces being shown were made by using the cyanotype and silver-gelatin printing processes, which are both comparatively old to the technology of inkjet printing. The use of a digital camera and other modern technologies to capture and print these photographs, however, contrasts heavily with the outdated methods of these printing. This series is able to effectively combine the old and the modern to highlight how these certain practices have stood the test of time and are still ever-present in our society that is consumed by the latest technologies. With the growing need for instantaneity in the world today, these pieces argue for the beauty of delayed gratification.

Emily Singer menu

Interwoven

Emily Singer
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