A long strip of white fabric hangs in the Pavilion of the Common, a section dedicated to artists exploring the notion of the common world and the way to build a community to counter individualism and self-interests, inside the Arsenale at the 57th International Art Exhibition in Venice.
Spools of cotton thread in a wide range of colours hang from a wooden structure suspended on the fabric together with shells, bells and pieces of wood, almost symbolical relics invested with a mysterious shamanic power. There are several needles on pads scattered along the fabric and visitors passing by can stop and do some embroidery. This is indeed "A Stitch in Time", a collaborative work by Filipino artist David Medalla, that started in London, in 1968, during the 'Summer of Love'.
The piece was inspired by a personal story: in 1967 Medalla gave two of his ex-lovers a handkerchief each, a packet of needles and some spools of cotton thread when he met them at Heathrow Airport on their ways to India and New York, telling them to stitch anything they liked on the handkerchiefs on which he had left his name and a message of love.
Many years later, Medalla met at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, a young backpacker who carried on his back a totem-like pole made with pieces of coloured clothes stitched together. The piece was interspersed with old Chinese coins, keys, empty cigarette packets and cigarette butts, dried flower leaves, and other assorted objects.
The backpacker told Medalla he had got the totem-pole from somebody in Bali and then showed it to him. Medalla found at the bottom of the pole, one of the original handkerchiefs he gave to one of his lovers. The artist gave back the object to the backpacker without explaining him anything.
But the work eventually triggered the inspiration for "A Stich in Time", conceived by the artist as an itinerant "atomic" project (something that begins small and eventually grows to monumental proportions) and a participatory artwork that allows people to share embroidery.
Throughout the decades Medalla engaged in theatre, poetry and visual arts, developing an interest in Minimalism, Kinetic Art and Land Art. In the '60s in Paris his performances were introduced by Gaston Bachelard and Louis Aragon.
Living since 1964 in London, the artist contributed to the creation of pioneering cultural spaces such as the Signals Gallery, the Exploding Gallery and, since 1998, the London Biennale.
He created various versions of "A Stitch in Time" for various events and art exhibitions in different parts of the world: the pieces constitute therefore an archive of images and should also be interpreted as a testament to all those who took part in the process.
The piece at the Venice Biennale gives the chance to visitors to take part in a collective performance, but it is also an opportunity to take your time, relax and have a bit of fun with fellow embroidery enthusiasts, stitch amateurs or unassuming wannabe embroiderers. While this is mainly a participatory work, it also points at relational practices and at the power of travel, time and chance.
One of the most interesting things about this installation is that the piece constantly changes: I checked upon it a few times and I gradually saw its white surface getting covered in personal cards, train and underground tickets, messages, small objects, and simple decorations or initials, with people quietly working on it and recreating a private silent space in a noisy public environment, or sharing experiences and passing around threads and needles.
It was an unusual (and very welcome) moment of peace and playful quiet in the brouhaha of the biennale press days.
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