Mothers and Daughters

in the palm of my hands and from the tips of my fingers

2021 – 2024

Sisters

hand-molded/woven bowls

approximately 9cm diameter x 4cm each

“Mothers and Daughters” is an installation project in progress consisting of over 1000 hand-molded/woven bowls. Their creation is an expression of matrilineal descent and the inherent sense of equality that matriarchal structures adhere to.

Matrilineal descent is the tracing of lineage through female ancestry from a founding female ancestor. I often think of where I came from and how priceless is the generational knowledge, skills, and sense of identity that has been passed down to me from my mother, grandmother, and my many female ancestors, and then down to my daughters. How does that lineage present itself? How can I represent this narrative?

The first bowl

2021

I intuitively chose the bowl form for this narrative. Bowls are symbolic of the Divine Feminine, the womb, a nurturing conduit. They are a known symbol of womanhood, domesticity, fertility, and creativity.

Each bowl is created individually; they are unique, but they are also intended to become an integral part of a larger collective identity. The result is an installation made up of many parts that can be assembled in a multitude of ways.

Each bowl is constructed using beeswax-hemp wick and assorted thread, ribbon, ink, and acrylic paint molded and woven over a wooden armature. I build, form, and design each bowl from the centre out in a repeating circular motion, using the warmth of my hands to bind the wick and other materials together. These materials are combined to balance the structure, design, and narrative requirements of each bowl. Each bowl is designed in the moment and that design is often affected by the length of a thread, pre-cut and woven in.

No two bowls are the same, yet there is an inherit continuity between them as the knowledge gained from the making of one bowl is then absorbed and passed onto the next. Each bowl is approximately 9cm in diameter by 4cm and fits comfortably in the palm of my hand.

Making and making again, remembering and remembering again.

Miriam Fabijan