Susan fecho
The Trousseau Book, 2019
16 x 13 x 12 inches
Flax/cotton papers, linen, cotton,
vintage lace, flax fibre-based PLA, found wood box.
Statement
A discarded box was recovered with an aged-stained tablecloth and collaged textiles to house a codex-bound book that fans open to reveal staggered pages. The handmade book, part of a series “To Contemplate What Lies Behind Us,” reveals a collection of vintage materials designed to investigate the concept of trousse [to wrap or bundle, to parcel a collection of items as a sign of wealth and social standing] within American Victorianism. Hand-printed/stitched hydrangea blossoms on thin handkerchiefs reference flirtatious Victorian coquettes. Scraps float on/within mica cleavage sheets to showcase the laboriously manufactured lace fragments. Layered surfaces buckle, rough edges “crisp,” and subtle eco-dyeing combine with minimal imagery to showcase decorative handwork of knotted lace, embellished seams and pleats, hoping to hint at the hidden restraints of femininity. These pages, made with a flax slurry to embed the textiles, present a “palimpsest” of folded pleats and stitched seam seeking to capture the notion of fragile memories.
SUSAN FECHO
Dean of the School of Visual, Performing and Communication Arts,
Barton College, Wilson, NC
Susan Fecho is a multi-media printmaker/surface designer with an earned M.F.A. from East Carolina University, and her academic contributions appear in national publications, in educational publications. “Storytelling is at the core of my work, with the sculptural book as a mode of telling stories, expressing feelings, and sharing imagery. Through my work, the familiar reappears in unfamiliar configurations; a new sense of significance is imparted to an otherwise everyday object. My creative interests extend beyond the viewed subject, encompassing sculptural elements, allegorical imagery, and whimsical puns. In my work, there are varied layers of material and multiple facets of meaning.”