During a critique of my work the idea of how to display them in a gallery environment had arisen. I realized that the
small frames I made were not strong enough to present them in such a situation.
Something else was needed to get a viewers attention from across a room, and also to instruct them on how to view and perceive the work.
I got a lot of ideas at the critique. What I wanted was a simple, contemporary solution. I also wanted to simplify because I want all the 'action' to be happening in the embroidery itself. Truth is I hate doing anything but the actual work, so it was a bit of a chore.
I ended up stitching the embroideries to black velvet, and then wrapping them around thick matte board, then attaching that to a larger thick matte board (also wrapped in black velvet) which was then placed into a black wooden frame with no glass. The frame became a bit like a shadowbox since the edges stick out a bit and 'protect' the embroidery.
The black velvet does play into the religious overtones (undertones?) in the work, but I chose it because it made the work 'pop' better than other fabrics.
I was thinking that much, much larger frames might even be better, but this is what I ended up with and I think it works pretty good. Now, if placed in a gallery setting (which will actually be happening within a week or so), the viewer will (hopefully) be drawn to the work even from a far distance since the isolation inside the black area makes it more curious, and then with the black velvet and frame around to block out distractions, can concentrate and contemplate the details.
Posts
