Catherine Reinhart (she/her)
take care (faded)
Composite Photograph of textile installation
13" x 19"
What is depletion, burnout, being on the brink, untenable time, fatigue threshold?
“I am constantly killing our grass. I will come out after a day or two of being trapped inside due to the sickness of a child or the state of my laundry pile to see piles of rotting weed or an abandoned toy left to make a sickly yellow impression. I kill our grass through neglect, leaving my son’s dirty t-shirt out. Unable, emotionally, to pick up one more pile of stinking and wilted foliage, which I myself pulled victoriously from between the hostas.”
“Neglect of Duty. Indicator of Thoughtlessness. Evidence of Activity.” - Journal Entry, July 2019
Little did I know what 2020 would hold. Take care (faded) is a composite image of a textile installation left out in the blazing heat May - July 2020. Originally an extension of greeting to my neighbors (and the world) during this brutal pandemic, this work became instead an omen, a warning and a call to arms. “Take care” lest you become depleted. “Take care” to see who you welcome, snub or embrace. “Take care” of ALL the things and don’t neglect yourself. “Take care” to do this while being brave, self-sufficient and loosed from your normal networks of support.
As this fiber work faded in the sun, it reflected the exhausting experience of mothering during a global pandemic. I am interested in the point at which motherhood becomes untenable; exploring the limitations of maternal labor, the traces of domestic activity and the indicators of a much too busy life.
Detritus Domestica.
www.catherinereinhart.com
@catherine_reinhart_studio