Fluid Borders
2023
These two large-scale cyanotype prints are made on cotton fabrics, where the blue and white piece was made collaboratively with a group of Ukrainian women in the UK, who were forced from their homeland after Russia’s full-scale invasion. The print was done during the residency at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Arts in Newcastle. The red piece was made with two Russian artists who fled to Estonia in the same period for their own safety.
The first blue piece features non-indigenous / migrated plant species which were introduced to the UK, whilst the second piece features plants found in Estonia that are considered intrusive weeds.
Working collaboratively with both groups, we explored ideas of fluid borders as spaces of freedom, imagining fabrics as river water – devoid of human restrictions. Whilst I recognise the real-world importance of borders and the protection they offer, I find it interesting to think of rivers as boundaries where borders lose their divisive power. Coming from a borderland myself – where a river forms a natural barrier between Estonia and Russia – the border shapes my identity and positionality, which I wanted to embrace with this project. I’m interested in creating a space on fabric where plants and humans can coexist in any form and shape. Here, feeling free in the river means feeling free at the boundary; it’s about accepting oneself and others as they are – in a place of empathy and freedom.
Working with one of the oldest photographic techniques was a means for us all to participate physically in the making process, using our bodies and plants to create a new place where everyone is welcome.