Rhythm and Balance, Texture

 

For this piece, I thought about what textures represent in our society, and how they demarcate not just the physical, but also the social. Through history, certain fabrics, patterns, and textiles have served as physical signifiers of class. A particularly evocative texture that I considered was the bus seat. I wanted to convey a “physical presence,” as is described by Lupton, and this is one that stands out to me, as I’m often lost in these patterns as I ride the train into Denver at home (790). The patterns designed to hide stains and the tacky-manmade texture are synonymous with public transit. 

 

In examining Navajo art, I also observe where art fills the gaps around me, and wonder what it would be like if those small physical experiences of being in public were to be made “indigenous” or “decolonised”, and how it would affect our lives down to the smallest details. I designed this as a bus seat pattern for what I imagine textiles in indigenous public transit could look like. The figures and colors take design cues from both bus seat textile, natural pigments used in Navajo dyeing, and sand paintings. The figures are meant to mirror in diversity and magnitude the people who use public transit and how they all mingle in harmony. The variety of figures also offers a “reward” to the viewer upon closer inspection, and I imagine any unoccupied transit-goer could inspect these patterns to relieve boredom. The busy pattern and fuzzy texture I added are meant to mimic the sensation of bus seats. In a decolonized world, I imagine public transit would be far more widely available, free, and connect people to each other.