RED CROSS BLANKETS
2023
cotton blankets, knitted as part of the Memorial Gestures artist's residency at Holocaust Centre North from locally-sourced combed cotton yarn
2023
cotton blankets, knitted as part of the Memorial Gestures artist's residency at Holocaust Centre North from locally-sourced combed cotton yarn
During research as an artist-in-residence at Holocaust Centre North in Huddersfield, England, I discovered an archive of telegrams and letters that were sent from people who had been deported to concentration camps during World War II. Previously, I had not known that Holocaust prisoners had any contact with the outside world while they were incarcerated; I was moved to find that most of the messages contained sentiments of hope, care, and prayers of safety for their loved ones, demonstrating love’s profound ability to transcend political and physical walls.
Red Cross Blankets is a series of pieces knitted while in residency at HCN from locally-sourced West Yorkshire yarn, exploring the profound tapestry of loss inherent in the wake of the Holocaust. Based on scans of their actual counterparts within the archive, the letters and telegrams are translated into tactile objects which visitors are encouraged to touch and hold, experiencing an intimate understanding of the weight of lives lost—were these their last words?
Red Cross Blankets is a series of pieces knitted while in residency at HCN from locally-sourced West Yorkshire yarn, exploring the profound tapestry of loss inherent in the wake of the Holocaust. Based on scans of their actual counterparts within the archive, the letters and telegrams are translated into tactile objects which visitors are encouraged to touch and hold, experiencing an intimate understanding of the weight of lives lost—were these their last words?
