Stitching the Situation is a documentation of lives, not just data.
Our whole social structure is reorganizing in front of our eyes.
The virus exists in every state in the U.S., and has infected over 33 million people (confirmed) and likely far more who have not been tested. It has killed over 590,000 U.S. citizens.
In little more than a year.
Doctors, nurses, and all healthcare workers have been working overtime in direct contact with COVID patients, often without necessary protective equipment.
The economy tanked. People lost their jobs. Many businesses have closed while others have completely restructured how they function.
Students learn at home while parents juggle roles of teaching assistant, work, and caregiver.
Family members haven’t seen each other in months.
There’s so much to grieve, so much we have lost.
Millions have become gravely ill and spent weeks alone in hospitals with no visitors allowed.
Many, including my uncle, have died, and their family members are still waiting to gather and mourn their passing.
This isn’t the first time a pandemic has decimated a population of people, and it will likely not be the last.
Collaborative creation provides a space for connection and healing.
I began Situation Report because I needed to do something in response to the pandemic, to make a mark with my hands. I needed something I could touch when physical interaction was forbidden, to acknowledge the impact this virus was having on our world.
The piece has acted as a vigil, holding space for those suffering from the virus, caring for the ill, or working in “essential” jobs under great stress, as well as a real-time archive of individual experiences during the pandemic. It’s also a memorial to my Uncle Joe and the thousands of others who have died.
Stitching and creating offers quiet, meditative time to grieve. Working textiles alongside others is an ancient tradition, one that can soothe grief and loss by repetitive physical movements handling soft materials. THe patters created record the past and present, making some sense and structure out of chaos and conflicting emotions, in order to communicate and preserve these narratives for the future. It is an act of hope.
Stitching the Situation invites people from all over the country to stitch as a collaborative way to heal our communites.