Do you have fabrics or remnants stored away that bring back significant memories of a person, relationship or experience that has shaped you? Maybe it's a long-forgotten tie; a grandmother's scarf; a section of old upholstery from a beloved chair; a toddler's dress; a table cloth, tea towel, beach towel, curtain, pillowcase; or a pair jeans. We tend to hold on to remnants of our lives in the form of fabric. This project is a nationwide visual and audio storytelling initiative to tell our nation's stories (from all US states and terrirotires) through original art. That original art is donated to the project by everyday people like you. We're inviting you to donate fabric remnants or items made of fabric (something that you're truly ready to permanently part with) to be deconstructed and reconstructed as original art. We're also inviting you to tell the story (anonymously, if you prefer) in audio form to be incorporated into The Remoir Project exhibitions, online gallery, and podcast.
Interested in learning more or sharing your story? Our team member Katie Semro will be happy to answer your questions:
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More about The Remoir Project
The project vision is significant, involving numerous nationwide exhibitions in public space, an online gallery, an audio podcast or broadcasting platform, and video documentaries of the stories represented in The Remoir Project, with fabric remnants as the foundation. By transforming donated fabrics and remnants into original artworks that serve as visual representations of one person's or family's memories, The Remoir Project reminds us, in a very tangible form, of the breadth and depth of the human experience and what it means to be American.
Hundreds of artists and people whose remnants and stories have been shared with us will have been involved in this project by its completion when all US states and territories are represented. By incorporating stories from every state and territory in the United States, we hope to honor that, despite our differences and disparate experiences (which must also be honored, examined, and amplified), we share many things. By collecting memories in audio form, and transforming donated fabrics and remnants into original artworks that serve as visual representations of one person's or family's memories, The Remoir Project reveals the breadth and depth of the human experience as lived in our many states and territories.
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The completed textile memoir serves as a visual representation of the story associated with the donated fabric remnants. The term "Remoir" merges "remnant" and "memoir" and is also a nod to the etymology of the word "remnant": "remanoir" which means "to remain".
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What's the timeline for the project?
The Remoir Project was born in November 2020, and our goal is to create a visual and audio tapestry of original art, inspired by stories from all US states and territories, over the course of several years, aligning with the 4-year term of our 46th president, in an effort to remind us of our inherent connections to one another, despite our many differences. The completed Remoir art + corresponding audio stories will be exhibited in spaces around the country and on the online gallery at theremoirproject.com. (Our official project website will be launched January 2021, but you can find current details here and our Iowa Public Radio interview here ).
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What's the big idea?
Akwi's hope with The Remoir Project is to both honor the role of memory and what remains of an experience as well as to honor the transformative power of releasing the remnants of those experiences through visual and audio storytelling. As the project expands through the states and territories, other artists will be enlisted to create art, in their own styles, using donated remnants. These memoirs shared with The Remoir Project from around the country might be humorous, joyful, whimsical, poignant, painful, liberating. We hope to capture the breadth of what it means to not only live in America, but what it means to be human.
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A portion of the proceeds of each sold piece of original artwork is donated to a charity or non-profit organization identified by the donor whose fabric remnants were used to make the original artwork. You can participate or contact us with questions using the "your stories, your remnants start here" link above. And we invite you to keep up with The Remoir Project and see behind-the-scenes progress on Instagram, and Facebook.
