My installation pillow talk (when can i see you again) explores themes of intimacy and separation. Its inspiration comes from long-distance relationships and the pain and joy wrapped up in the nature of those connections. This piece questions the basic natures of both intimacy and separation; does separation have to be physical? Is intimacy solely an emotional concept?

Embroidery throughout history has been considered women’s work, and as such, has been demeaned and limited to the private sphere. It is only recently that this medium has found an audience in the art world. While embroidery, a historically feminine medium, is not inherently romantic, it does have romantic associations because of its linkage with the feminine. The history of embroidery as an appropriate and productive creative outlet for women, especially those women awaiting a distant partner’s return from war, connects it deeply to the idea of waiting.

The idea of waiting, specifically of a woman waiting, is part of the makeup of pillow talk (when can i see you again). The image of the embroidered bedding speaks to a long period of waiting, as well as a preoccupation with those objects and the statements embroidered upon them. There is a cyclical nature to these statements. The words are physically linked to each other, suggesting that these phrases are oft spoken. In addition, the end of the phrase links back to the beginning of the phrase, indicating a sort of cycle of the statement. However, the repetition of the statements, layered one on top of another, indicates that these statements do not stagnate, but instead find new vitality in different contexts.