Monday, December 17, 2007

New groups embroidering, new projects developing








Recently several groups have been included in Desconocida, embroidering the names and discussing the situation in Juarez and relating to women’s situation in their own community. Attached are some photos from high school students in Kingwood, coming an hour early to school to be part of the project. Thank you!

My upcoming focus for Desconocida is to develop a sub project specifically towards the youth, through the schools system. I am about to make a documentation video from my recent trip to Juarez to be included in this project. Through the schools in Norway and eventually in other countries I hope to engage the youth to embroider and discuss women’s situations in Juarez and in their own community. Instead of sending the embroidered labels back to me directly they will make an exhibition in their school using the embroidered labels. If the exhibition is temporary, they will send the labels to me when the exhibition is over. All groups are asked to document their work and exhibition and send me. I will also suggest that documentation can be sent to own government or to the government in Mexico, maybe through local press.

A grant for this project has been provided by the Norwegian Art Council.

The last photos is from a new work I have made in connection to Desconocida, titled Ni Una Mas! It consists of all the images I have received from the workshops around the world, and all the images I took on my trip to Juarez, printed as greeting cards and sewn together in one long roll, with red silk thread. The roll measures 230 meters and consists of 1151 images. As I receive more images from workshops the roll will continue to grow.

I would like to thank everyone participating and supporting the project and wish you all a peaceful Christmas and a happy new year.

Best Lise