COVID-Corset (wip)

COVID- Corset is about conformity, restrictions, and having to make do with what cards one got delt during this unexpected turn of events for all.

I ended up being stuck in Russia for 3 months, with very little materials at hand. Quickly resorting to being resourceful with what I have: an old drying rack and yarn my mother used for our fashion brand, I turned it into a weaving loom and really pulled on those strings. It gave me a focus and release I needed. Not being able to leave Sochi, a small resort town on the Black Sea wasn’t easy.

As I write this, Russia is still on lockdown, I had to take 4 flights instead of 1 to be able to come back to London. The world suddenly became so much smaller/tighter. Starting from the nucleus of families all the way to countries the worlds have shrunk and confined themselves into a smaller perimeter - this is what this work is about.

Amongst yarn and ribbon, I incorporated bamboo stems for it symbolizes resilience and eucalyptus as it dissipates negative energies & stands for strength and leadership. Shaping it in the form of the corset was important for me, as I recall working on victorian sets as an extra and feeling practically immobile whilst wearing one.

I have written further on Control, have read here