The Nixie, The Siren, The Moon
This piece was inspired by the inherent mystery of mythical water creatures, such as the Nixie (river) and Siren (ocean). The water was a very important part of my teenage life, a time where I began to realise my continued use of my childhood coping mechanisms. I rowed crew, and was always in the back, which meant I was on my own surrounded by beautiful nature, but often very bored. I used to look over the side and imagine I could see things in the water. As such, these creatures became a part of my imagination.
Shape & Silhouette:
I wanted to mimic one of the frequent lessons surrounding water creatures in tales, the recommendation of distance. Visible from afar is embroidered and couched yarn, an important part of the piece that creates a resting place for pockets of beading, which would rcquire the viewer to get closer to fully appreciate. The sliding, flowing shapes were meant to enhance the asymmetrical hem of the dress. and the lacing on the side helped to increase this by allowing one side to be cinched over the other, accentuating the lines. The dress is cut on the bias, allowing for further draping effects.
Dyeing + Embellishment :
The dress is dyed in a gradient of buckthorn berries (green) to mallow flowers (blue). After this gradient was established, it was overdyed back in the buckthorn in order to shift the entire dress back to green. The yarn is dyed in the same two dye baths, with the middle tone being a combination of both. The entire dress is beaded in clear shining gems, meant to create sparkling pockets around the flowing couched yarn. The couched yarn itself is reminiscent of the playful line, a motif that circles back to the childish play I sought to bring to my embellishment techniques.