"IN THE CONFINES OF PROTECTION"- A CONVERSATION WITH EMILY CARRIS-DUNCAN

"Emily is an artist, DJ, and co-founder of High Pastures, a new artist residency in Whitingham, Vermont. They have founded this residency with partner Corey Carris-Duncan, DJ and musical collaborator (found in projects such as Strange Parts, Burnt Pink). Emily creates art via fabric arts, photography, music, and other mediums. Note to readers: contains discussion of abuse."- Andrea Belltower 

Andrea- Hi Emily. I enjoyed your interview published in Past Present Projects  Quiltmaking as Mapmaking: Emily Carris-Duncan. Fabric arts are fascinating for their use in generational storytelling, and you engage in many processes in creating your works . I first became familiar with your art through your piece titled “Chastity" shared online and I’ve thought a lot about it since. One aspect of it that really stands out is the idea of quilting as comfort with the restrictions of bondage. Can you elaborate on some of the sourcing of the materials and its significance in storytelling, perhaps even mapmaking, here? I very much like the idea of the theoretical map drawn from the source of the materials to the final artistic product, and the narrative is palpable, but I’ve had a hard time putting its effect into words. 

Chastity, 2017

Emily- I’m glad that you picked up on the contradiction with the softness and comfort of quilting and the hard restriction of the traditional chastity belt. I made this piece in the start of my PTSD recovery for sexual assault. This piece grew out of a work called Birth Announcement for Those Who Will and Will Never Be (2017). It’s a crib blanket made from silk dyed with natural materials including herbal abortifacients and iron liquor derived from a pair of shackles from the 1800’s. It also has batting from the mid 1800’s. At the time I was thinking about the ways the fems have for the longest time managed to find control within the confines of patriarchy through herbal birth control practices. It binds us through time, space, and culture and I wanted to explore that. Chastity came as a carry along to the ideas in Birth Announcement… I began thinking a lot about the cultural circumstances that help facilitate these choices. The toxic mix of grief, shame, and silence that lead to the rape and abuse culture that provades so much of society. I was reflecting on the way I was groomed as a fem person by culture to both be protective of myself, my body, my “virtue” only to have these things be up for grabs in the most literal of ways. I kept (continue to keep) wondering about finding comfort, softness, sensuality, and freedom in the confines of protection (self or otherwise). 

"By bringing in the iron liquor made from shackles I wanted to have the notion of bondage as in the slave trade to be present. When it comes to the sexual assault of black bodies particularly at the hands of white men, it is hard not to have this history at play."

Andrea- Thank you for sharing all this with us. I appreciate what you have brought to the discussion. 

Some of the images of your work you shared here seem to show the process of healing. Do you find that expressing this through your creative process helps in your personal process of healing?  Absolutely. For a long time I didn’t understand that art making and creativity were how I cope with the world. I just felt like a very normal thing to do with no particular deep meaning. But as I kept learning on art to process and make sense of the world, it has become a crucial part of my healing process like so many people. 

I know you are founding a residency in Whitingham, Vermont, deep in the mountains and forests, and I think it is intended mostly for BIPOC and queer folks. Will this partly be a space of healing and reflection? There is something to be said for being in nature, as though it can help draw trauma out of the confines of the body, although it will always leave its mark.  

Emily- Our residency space is very much a creative retreat space particularly for BIPOC and Queer artists who don’t always have ready access to spaces like this. The impulse for High Pastures has grown out of a search to find healing and to find safe spaces to transfer some of the big energy that comes with living on the margins. My hope is that artists, performers, thinkers, and writers can find a comfortable relaxing and nourishing space to create their best work.

Andrea- Do you have any showings scheduled or anywhere to see your work in-person? 

Emily- My next exhibition will be May 1, 2023 at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia as part of the Center for Experimental Ethnography’s spring carnival. It is not announced yet but you will find information on the CEE website