Hell is Real (We're Living It)
Name: Nathan Ford
Title of Piece: Hell is Real (We're Living It)
Size: 25" x 54"
Medium: Cotton Fabric
Price: 1000
Description: Growing up in Ohio I was exposed to an emerging queer scene along with what remains of the bygone American automotive era. As a child, I remember my grandfather recalling his memories of growing up in the railroad industry, as I stumbled upon boxes of paperwork and photographs of my other grandfather working at General Motors. Through family research, I also discovered my great-grandmother was an expert quilter. My family created things with their hands. Manual labor and haptic knowledge are a part of who I am. I create quilts using towels, work wear, and undergarments. In addition to my ancestral connection, I am interested in quilts for their connection to abstracted language, community, and history. I embrace the hand in my work. The wonky, the abstract, and the “non-perfect” are all celebrated. Queer symbols, such as pink triangles, keys, and earrings are also used. My materials, approach, and symbology all work together to complicate traditional quilt language and to communicate issues of status, sexual desire, and personal identity. Through the appropriation of traditional quilt blocks and the application of unconventional domestic materials, I subvert their previous context and access histories that are untold. My quilts reevaluate history and suggest the possibility that queer voices have existed for years in both laborer and quilt communities. Domestic settings historically have functioned as a site of refuge for the queer body - a space for intimacy and freedom. Uniforms and personal ephemera of denim, work shirts and underwear connect queer domestic spaces and laborer communities. I mine through historical and personal archives to dissect the history of clothing and textiles in each community. Through the process of piecing these elements together I suggest the possibility for a queer presence within the rustbelt and automotive industry.
Name: Nathan Ford
Title of Piece: Hell is Real (We're Living It)
Size: 25" x 54"
Medium: Cotton Fabric
Price: 1000
Description: Growing up in Ohio I was exposed to an emerging queer scene along with what remains of the bygone American automotive era. As a child, I remember my grandfather recalling his memories of growing up in the railroad industry, as I stumbled upon boxes of paperwork and photographs of my other grandfather working at General Motors. Through family research, I also discovered my great-grandmother was an expert quilter. My family created things with their hands. Manual labor and haptic knowledge are a part of who I am. I create quilts using towels, work wear, and undergarments. In addition to my ancestral connection, I am interested in quilts for their connection to abstracted language, community, and history. I embrace the hand in my work. The wonky, the abstract, and the “non-perfect” are all celebrated. Queer symbols, such as pink triangles, keys, and earrings are also used. My materials, approach, and symbology all work together to complicate traditional quilt language and to communicate issues of status, sexual desire, and personal identity. Through the appropriation of traditional quilt blocks and the application of unconventional domestic materials, I subvert their previous context and access histories that are untold. My quilts reevaluate history and suggest the possibility that queer voices have existed for years in both laborer and quilt communities. Domestic settings historically have functioned as a site of refuge for the queer body - a space for intimacy and freedom. Uniforms and personal ephemera of denim, work shirts and underwear connect queer domestic spaces and laborer communities. I mine through historical and personal archives to dissect the history of clothing and textiles in each community. Through the process of piecing these elements together I suggest the possibility for a queer presence within the rustbelt and automotive industry.
Name: Nathan Ford
Title of Piece: Hell is Real (We're Living It)
Size: 25" x 54"
Medium: Cotton Fabric
Price: 1000
Description: Growing up in Ohio I was exposed to an emerging queer scene along with what remains of the bygone American automotive era. As a child, I remember my grandfather recalling his memories of growing up in the railroad industry, as I stumbled upon boxes of paperwork and photographs of my other grandfather working at General Motors. Through family research, I also discovered my great-grandmother was an expert quilter. My family created things with their hands. Manual labor and haptic knowledge are a part of who I am. I create quilts using towels, work wear, and undergarments. In addition to my ancestral connection, I am interested in quilts for their connection to abstracted language, community, and history. I embrace the hand in my work. The wonky, the abstract, and the “non-perfect” are all celebrated. Queer symbols, such as pink triangles, keys, and earrings are also used. My materials, approach, and symbology all work together to complicate traditional quilt language and to communicate issues of status, sexual desire, and personal identity. Through the appropriation of traditional quilt blocks and the application of unconventional domestic materials, I subvert their previous context and access histories that are untold. My quilts reevaluate history and suggest the possibility that queer voices have existed for years in both laborer and quilt communities. Domestic settings historically have functioned as a site of refuge for the queer body - a space for intimacy and freedom. Uniforms and personal ephemera of denim, work shirts and underwear connect queer domestic spaces and laborer communities. I mine through historical and personal archives to dissect the history of clothing and textiles in each community. Through the process of piecing these elements together I suggest the possibility for a queer presence within the rustbelt and automotive industry.