the cantos

This frame is the first in a collection of embroidered works that will tell a story. A Canto,
being a long subsection of an epic narrative or poem, serves for the title but as yet
remains undecided.
  Drawing from observances of cellular organisms, marine life, and planetary bodies, the
creature depicted was designed and stitched into being. Several years on from its
creation, the artist is still engaged with the narrative, building slowly around it. It began in
the artist’s mind’s eye as a data carrier; an observer and cosmic traveller. The concept
of a journey became central to the artist’s development; she began to muse on the
series becoming an allegory for evolving human consciousness, the creatures adapting
and warping as they react to their environment and new stimuli. 
  To set the scene we must travel back to ancient Mesopotamia, to the cradle of
civilisation where early writings, astronomy, and agricultural technologies began to
drastically shape humankind. Entwined with our history as crafters, our reverence for
gold, and in the sacred working of hallowed objects; the beauty and intricacy of this
paradigm shift, concerning Sumerian culture and the Madan people of the reed
marshes, is to be told in silks and metal wires.