Familial Code

Tessa Trimble's work uses silk-screened images on fabric embellished with embroidery and other techniques. See statement below.

Familial Code

by Tessa Trimble

Within the unique bond of family and family tradition we see many traditions

reflected — unspoken bonds and feelings woven into our everyday lives. A code is

passed from generation to generation, with no way of changing it. Within each person

in our family, there are patterns that appear and reappear with time. I come from an

Appalachian tradition, so the acts of sewing, mending, embroidering, and quilting have

been woven into me. These acts are part of the code passed to me by my family, and

the patterns we create with our textiles reflect the patterns within our family. Nature is

a recurring theme in my work , suggesting that it seems to be the only earthly thing as

constant as familial code and heritage. Both family and nature are organic in their

production, yet consistent in their structure.

I display parts of both my family and myself in my work by using materials

passed down to me from my relatives and using images originating from family trips

and memories. I use embroidery to embellish these images, and by using multiple

sewing techniques I pay homage to the traditional work of cross-stitch samplers that

are used to showcase a wide array of stitch techniques. The braille displayed on my

three-dimensional pieces is a tactile way to announce these themes we see in family

tradition without it being spelled out, inviting us to touch and feel these deep

emotions.

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