Embroidery on the body - Embodery

After wrapping the material around my arm it interested me to see how I could capture the structure of the shape instead of following contours. So using different body parts I wrapped some soft fleece/felted fabric from the scraps box around my elbow, knee and in a clenched fist. Then applied manipulation to the fabric using movement  for the elbow and knee a bend, and for the clenched fist strength and power.

Elbow

Knee

Fist

I feel that they turned put well. Simple but the personal force behind them is what makes then individual. An air of chance using this technique. Following the rule of something to do whilst recovering and relaxing this limited my uwe of a sewing machine which I feel could be more efficient  and churning out some feeling framed samples, but this way I was able to work at a good pace without too much thought. The basis of the structure was there for me I just secured that. As for the choice of yarn there was no real thought behind that other than I like purple! This set of three was really inspired by Heather Hansen who draws (to music) using her whole body. Feet and hands, sometimes head and torso, are covered in chalk as she makes shapes to music on large scale white paper. I felt this technique linked well to how I had been drawing to music but it hadn’t occur to me to use my body,  we all tap our feet to music or nod our heads, so is that another physical response to our minds reacting to the music. I found drawing to music I really did move my arns/hands whilst drawing with complementing dynanics in accordance to the music.

An example of Heather Hansen’s work. http://heatherhansen.net/emptied-gestures/

I’m loving this kind of feeling driven mark making,  I just want to refine an embroidery technique that could possibly be suitable for a workshop in the future. With the sewing on the body I found I was sometimes poking myself with the needle, the knee sample meant twisting my whole body which was uncomfortable,  all factors not practical to take this directly forward to the public. But fun and interesting none the less.