SARAH PEDLOW // Amsterdam, Netherlands
My textile and photo-based work is a form of way-finding and map-making. I distill patterns to their contours: outlines of memory, heritage, identity, and culture. I am interested in junctions– where cultures, symbols, forms, and past and present meet– and the aesthetics of the everyday. Windows, curtains, walls, and sidewalks serve as transitional spaces– portals to another time or the possibility of a changed self. My imagery draws from decorative art traditions and cultural emblems of Hungary, Romania, and Ukraine where I have worked with embroiderers, as well as a personal vocabulary from my life as an American expat in The Netherlands.
This piece accompanies my practice of stitching on paper and photographs that I began during COVID. The drawing in stitches and needle-poked holes comes from flowers on a Ukrainian scarf, a symbol of (albeit romanticized) folk culture, warmth, and comfort. Some holes were left unstitched, marking unfulfilled plans while leaving the possibility for something new to be created.