Digital Embroidery

Utilizing Tajima Pulse software with the goal of creating personalized images, I wanted to create imagery of three different locations that were influential during my adolescence: Viterbo (Italy), Düsseldorf (Germany), and Brussels (Belgium).

I find myself hugging a pillow to seek solace after a long day. The pillow series were a way for me to create interior soft goods that not only would serve as decor, but also would allow me reflect while seeking comfort.

Pillow n.1: VITERBO, ITALY

When I was 15, I spent my high school junior year abroad in Viterbo, Italy. Having a profound sense of gratitude for the opportunity, I pushed myself to broaden my horizons. An introvert at the time, I found it exhausting to express myself solely in Italian. Nonetheless, a desire to deeply connect with my Viterban host family, who spoke zero English, motivated me to put my frustration aside and persevere. The more fluent I became, the more I perceived just how little I knew.  With each new conversation, new friend, new problem, came an awareness that the journey of discovery never ends.

My abstraction of the welcoming atmosphere of the affectionate Italian community was sewn out on leather with a 15-needle Tajima commercial embroidery machine.

Pillow n. 2: Brussels, Belgium

On the second week of February, the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) gives students a one-week break before the official start of the spring semester. During this time in 2018, one of my best friends at RISD suggested we should go to the location of the cheapest flight available. A few weeks later, we found ourselves meandering the streets of Brussels.

“This. This is life,” I thought to myself as I gleefully skipped the cobblestone streets leading up to the Grand Palais. With a camera in one hand, a bag of Belgian chocolates in the other and my best friend by my side, I took a mental snapshot to capture everything I was experiencing. We decided to not use a map for the remainder of our trip. Instead, we allowed our curiosity to guide us to serendipitous discoveries: a bookstore bar and dozens of local artisanal Belgian chocolate stores.

The opportunity of being spontaneous and carefree in Brussels is what I aspired to emanate with this pillow.

Pillow n. 3: Düsseldorf, Germany

 I stumbled upon a government sponsored scholarship to go to Germany during my senior year of high school. Did I know anything about Deutschland? No. Did I want to? Heck yes. Life had gifted me this unexpected opportunity, so I took it.

I confidently arrived in Germany; however, that feeling of poise was quickly sapped upon hearing the language in person. It sounded like hissing gibberish. Oh mein Gott, I thought, What have I done? 

“I’ll never be able to learn German!” I sobbed to Danny, my host sister. She wiped my tears before erupting in laughter. “Oh Halo… You’ve only been in Germany for two days!” She playfully exclaimed. I nodded; she had a point. “You’ll get there. I'll help you,“ she promised. I had no idea if I would be able to speak this bizarre language or assimilate into the culture, but I had a teacher and was determined to learn. Danny and I spent the next months intensely peppering each other with endless questions. By the end of the year, not only was I completely fluent in German, but so was she in English. To this day, I am amazed at the progress we made by supporting each other. I have comprehended a new math that 1 + 1 is greater than 2, when it comes to working towards a common goal with teamwork and perseverance.

The feeling of being desperately confused while being deeply hopeful during my time in Düsseldorf is what I embroidered onto the chrome leather.