In celebration of the last official day of New York Textile Month, Ragna Froda presents “A Performance Queue” at L space Gallery. The featured artists working with performance are Lina Celis, Heidi Hankaniemi and Elisa Lutteral.

Sour Thoughts by Heidi Hankaniemi

From 2:00 pm to 5:00pm

Hankaniemi continues to embroider your Sour Word contributions. Over 400 cathartic bad words were submitted by visitors during her Sour Curtain exhibition at the gallery in June 2023.

The work confronts the viewer with unrealistic expectations imposed in women to perform laborious domestic activities with a smile. It's a vessel for a quiet tantrum, all the while keeping up appearances.

The Braided Hands by Elisa Lutteral

Performed by Sofia Ameglio, Serena Brunswig, Madison Chu, and Clara Wiest.

3:00 pm

The symbol of the hand appears as an expression of human consciousness. Hands have the capacity to sculpt, mold, and weave the world we inhabit but also to unravel and destroy. In this duality, hands can reshape and react to our surroundings. Making transforms both states of matter and the mind. It is an act of being present and active in the world. When these hands become intertwined and fused with other hands, they build a network, and from this network stems collective consciousness. The performative represents a unique collaboration involving four contemporary dancers who have no prior rehearsal together. The central element driving the interaction among the actors is the use of the glove. This glove serves as a tool to guide their movements and engagements. When their fingers become braided, it triggers a transformative shift in how the bodies interact with each other.

Montaña, A Refuge to Settling In by Lina Celis

3:30 pm

"Montaña: a refuge to settling in" is a ceremonial journey. It utilizes deliberate textiles and alchemical methodologies to explore our connection to existence and affinity. Seamlessly intertwining textile craftsmanship, mundane sounds, mythology, and childhood memories, the performance becomes an ode to life's intricate fabric. Rooted in the dynamic relationship between evolving identity and one's homeland, the performance draws inspiration from the Andes Mountains, expressed through deliberate movements and narratives. Comparable to a cherished "hogar" or the comforting "ruana," the performance fosters a sense of unity and belonging, mirroring the essence of indigenous heritage.

Learn More @elilutteral @heidihankaniemi @linacelisjourney

“The Blanket” is a long-term project where Capucine Bourcart knits a live-size plastic blanket using the common and iconic white plastic bag with red “Thank You” lettering. She has been doing this since March 2020 when New York State banned plastic bags. A performance underlining how difficult it can be to change our habits. By creating an object that resembles a blanket, which traditionally offers comfort, she reveals her own struggle to stop using plastic bags in her daily life. An overwhelming number of plastic bags have been collected from Bourcart’s local supermarket. Every stitch is a reminder of our consumerist culture. Each loop represents our insatiable appetite for consumption to validate our sense of self-worth. Bourcart keeps stitching, akin to writing about the inherent selfishness that permeates our society driven by individualistic desires.

Now the blanket is 17 feet long and Bourcart has used approximately 500 plastic bags. The question is how long will the blanket be once she uses up all the plastic bags she has hoarded? This uncertainty keeps Bourcart knitting, much like writing lines without an end.

Learn More www.capucinebourcart.com

@capucinebourcart

Bourcart has been living in the United States since 2006, after growing up in France. ​
In her current multidisciplinary work with textiles, Bourcart uses unconventional materials such as cat fur, lint, plastic bags and soil and elevates them into 2D and 3D objects, installations, and performances. She converts these materials through techniques such as knitting, felting or embroidery.
​
Bourcart's work has been exhibited internationally in numerous galleries and art venues in the US as well as in Europe. Bourcart was invited to participate in several art fairs including Art on Paper and Art Wynwood. She won the Paula Rhodes Memorial Award for exceptional achievement in Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts in 2023. She was also awarded numerous grants such as Lower Manhattan Cultural Council grants, Uniqlo Park Expressions grant, and The Puffin Foundation grant. Currently, Bourcart has a MFA from the School of Visual Arts.