The installation 'here not here' was created in 2012 as part of Neville’s university exam exhibition, for which she received an Excellence Award. Examining the effects of absence on relationships, here not here narrates everyday life with a frequently absent partner due to work- related separation. Hand embroidered portraits serves as a process of remembrance, while the empty frames denote the lost- or the missed opportunities to create- memories. Embroidery is traditionally associated with chastity, solitude, submission and femininity. It was seen as an acceptable pastime for women, “because it kept the hands and minds active, not allowing for impropriety that could come from idleness” (Method 2008:15). Through stitching by hand Neville translates the obsessive, constant thinking and missing of an absent partner: trying to stitch together a life and memories. The movement of the needle- in and out, translates the cycles- here/ not here. The fraying of the thread relates to the loss of memory and the negligence of the relationship. Unfinished portraits signify the interruption of routine with his return.
“here not here (installation view)”
“Embroidery Portraits”
