Absented reflects on a threshold between what has been and what remains. Seven years of sobriety and the end of PMDD mark a significant shift in my identity, experiences that shaped my life and are now absent.
At the centre, a stitched labyrinth traces cycles, repetitions, dead ends and gradual movement towards something new. Seven textile squares represent seven years of sobriety, forming a physical record of change and recovery.
Made from reclaimed fabrics and hand-dyed threads, the work embraces slowness and mindful making. The layers and stitches become traces of an identity shaped by survival, asking what remains when those experiences begin to loosen.
Who have I become without them?
I am still becoming: artist, woman, elder.
Not starting again. Beginning from here.