Alexandra Caivano's profile

WINDGATE APPLICATION

DETAIL
MOSS | DIGITAL PRINT ON COTTON
MOSS (BACK) | DIGITAL PRINT ON COTTON
 
FOIL | DIGITAL PRINT ON COTTON
DIED | DIGITAL PRINT ON RAYON
DIED (BACK)  | DIGITAL PRINT ON RAYON
FLORAL HEADSTONE | DIGITAL PRINT ON COTTON, MESH
CAMO STONE | DIGITAL PRINT ON COTTON
CAMO STONE (BACK) | DIGITAL PRINT ON COTTON
DETAIL
The body of work presented is a collection of digitally printed garments and textiles. Each garment is first designed in Photoshop, then printed and handmade. I focus on making textural, photographic prints. My main source of imagery comes from headstones. One day I was walking through Greenmount Cemetery in Baltimore and began to notice the beautiful textures and patterns made from the destruction and decay that occurs through aging. I immediately thought to myself that the texture of these stones would make rich fabrics that could be transformed into garments and home decor. My work re-purposes these headstones and pays homage to the craft and skill of their original makers. Grave markers were traditionally made by hand, and could take months or years to carve. As centuries have passed the process has been streamlined with laser cutters and engravers so that very little is actually done by hand. This relates back to my own work, which uses modern technology to print cloth digitally, rather than screen printing many layers by hand. By utilizing digital printing, I can replicate these dense textures bringing a new purpose to these stones which may have been forgotten or neglected. My garments act as new memorials for these abandoned works of art which often go unnoticed and unvisited. Using modern technology, I can honor the traditional ways of making these headstones by creating photographic repeats of their textures. I choose to memorialize the stone rather than the person it belongs to. Of course the human who is being memorialized by the stone is important, but I want to bring attention to the subtle details rather than what is obvious. I achieve this by placing these highly detailed patterns on simple silhouettes, forcing the viewer to notice what usually goes undetected. 
WINDGATE APPLICATION
Published:

WINDGATE APPLICATION

Application for the Windgate Fellowship

Published:

Creative Fields