Laced Cobblestone is a large lace drawing created by squeezing out thin lines made of a flour and water paste. It is performed on my knees for days until the drawing is complete. Laced Cobblestone was originally created over top of traditional cobblestones at the International Azores Fringe Festival on the island of Pico, Azores.  International Azores Fringe Festival on the island of Pico, Azores. Since then, it has been performed on the gallery floor of Lamont Gallery’s Representing Feminisms exhibition in New Hampshire. The resulting drawing/installation resembles a monumental-sized lace doily crocheted by women, as well as the decorative cobblestones (calçadas) constructed by men throughout the Azores and continental Portugal. Laced Cobblestone brings women’s work from their private domestic setting into public view. The result is a merging of the women’s and men’s labour in public form. Flour is symbolic for the hard labour involved in “putting bread on the table.” The artwork is made of impermanent materials to draw attention to the fragility of traditional lace works and the invisibility of manual labour. The artwork will crack, shift and fade, depending on the indoor or outdoor conditions.

The images below depict the laborious process of creating the original lacework in the Azores, its inspirations such as a woman making crochet and a man working on cobblestones, and a historical flour windmill in the distance. The artwork was installed at a 3-point stop, where people appreciated the work from their vehicle or by foot.