Using Patterns to Dissect Memories to Create Comfort
sophia bassett
As my hand begins to scrape the surface of the porcelain and the foot presses upon the pedal of the sewing machine, my mind starts to race.
I explore memories that at the moment I didn’t know would be so important to me— the use of feminine imagery to allude to the expected standards placed upon me, and the expression of childhood whimsy that was stolen at a young age. The journey of creating my artwork starts with imagery that is significant to met— butterflies, leaves, insects, etc. Throughout the mundane process of making each piece, it becomes about the journey it takes to make them— the ups and downs, the feelings, and the emotions that are overwhelming each time I sit down and begin to create.
Memories of special moments with siblings and places I hold close to my heart flood my mind. Thinking about childhood, I go over experiences in my head; trying to trace that moment back to see how it shaped who I am today.
Printmaking, ceramics, fashion design, and pattern-making help build this comfort and create a sense of the work wrapping around the viewer. When creating my fashion pieces I use different fabrics to help relive childhood memories. I often use sleeping bags, bedsheets, or old bolts of fabric on their way to the landfill.
Each fashion piece explores a specific memory or experience and uses different materials to help portray it. It shows my discovery of the ability to create designs that connect to create larger, ongoing patterns— taking a small idea and turning it into something that repeats itself, creating something powerful. Taking the idea of a memory from a young age and morphing it into something physical. It’s something I don’t want to lose, so I transform them from the mundane into the imaginative.
Sophia Bassett is a first-year senior visual arts major at Interlochen Arts Academy from Spring Lake, Michigan. She uses her mundane childhood memories to create patterns, fashion pieces, prints, and more to create a sense of comfort. She received National Silver and Gold medals in the 2021 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Her ceramic dress also received a Faculty Recognition award in the 2021 Interlochen Visual Arts Juried Show.