Emily Bayless

My work reflects intersections of partitioned realities. Fiber works are made in my home through traditional weaving methods paired with clay sculptures made delicately in a public space. I use pattern as evidence of a coercing force toward an awkward attempt at harmony. As both a maker and woman I have often felt trapped within a culture of barriers that define my autonomy. These constraints are not physical fences or walls, they are tricky. Where they do or do not overlap will change depending on where I am in the world. Pattern, symbolism, and material metaphor are used in my work in ways that share kinship with these shifting parameters. Material metaphor plays a large role in my use of clay. The fragility of the material infuses works with meaning that often contradict the objects’ colloquial symbolism. A fence is strong. A clay fence points toward the power that symbol holds over us mentally, rather than physically. This same fragility poses a constant technical challenge in my practice, balancing out the conceptual process of the work with a hands-on problem that can be solved through time and persistence.
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