Ruins

Elizabeth Isham

Medium: Yarn

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My project discusses the relationship between memory and the passing of a loved one. As my grandmother’s passing left my family devastated, I find myself looking through my memories to keep her alive. During this process of grief, I've felt inspired to create work that reflects my transformed relationship with her. As she used to crochet, I took one of her last blankets, a baby blanket, she created during her lifetime and chose to unravel it, symbolizing the slow degeneration of my memories of her as I age along with the idea of representing her slow decline due to dementia. As I have dealt with mental illness, my chances of following in my grandmother’s path of age is likely to be similar. The act of unravelling the blanket additionally shows that I am always getting closer to the possible end that awaits me.