Memento Vitae (2020)

You and your body are separate entities. Our bodies have much more control over us than we have of them. In our daily lives, we don’t often think about the hundreds of involuntary processes happening in our bodies – all working in tandem to keep us alive. This edition of three tote bags serves as a reminder that the human body is always at work. It is a complex web of connections and many of its functions are out our control.

The heart perhaps the most easily understood of these processes. You can feel your heartbeat, but you can’t will its rhythm to change. Each tote bag features a found image of an anatomical human heart illustration. The image was printed on the tote bag using Solarfast dye – a dye process using a photographic negative and exposing it to sunlight. Hand embroidered embellishments were then added to demonstrate the intricate connections this organ has with the body. Raw edges of thread were purposely left hanging off the edge of the bag to signify the heart’s further attachments to the rest of the body. Blue and red were chosen as the dominant colours for the design, as they are typically used to illustrate the movement of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. However, rather than replicate an accurate depiction of blood flow and how the heart functions, this design is intended to symbolise the complexity of the body.