My work is about capturing the resilience and growth of the human spirit as we strive to create meaning and purpose in a world forever changed by the pandemic.
In the upper center of the work, I used a traditional Turkish motif symbolizing the wish for solidarity. Turkish rug motifs and how they are arranged in patterns are the keys to discovering each weaver's story. In the artwork, I aimed to think like the weavers and tell a story about a person walking to solidarity. As the person walked down the path, they couldn't help but feel a sense of unease and uncertainty. The world was a much different place now, one that the pandemic had forever altered. But amidst the chaos, the person felt a glimmer of hope and found a way to unite in solidarity. They knew the journey would be challenging, but they were ready for the challenge. They had already seen how the pandemic had brought people together, inspiring acts of kindness and generosity, and they were determined to build on that spirit of unity. Weavers have believed from earliest times that imitating or weaving part of a dangerous animal will give them power over it and protection from it. Likewise, I hope that my artwork will protect us from bad times.
Based on The Introspect - Emmett Hodgins