Anne Aube MFA Applied Craft + Design Practicum 2016

Dangers of the Journey

As a survivor of stalking, sexual assault, and harassment while walking, my practicum project Dangers of the Journey allows me to render meaning from these experiences, and illustrate the fear suffered. I use elements of fantasy in this project as a means by which to criticize this social condition and express the need to change the established culture. The fantastical also reflects my view of the world and is a way for me to add my own voice to this conversation. 

To address these concerns, I made a cloak and a hand embroidered map with all the walks that I have taken in the last year. These objects were inspired by a short fantasy story I wrote titled The Shadow. The cloak has been historically used as a form of protection. This particular cloak is made of velour with black embroidery representing the shadow of fear that encompasses walking. The hand embroidered map on linen reinforces the connection of fear to place. These objects illustrate my own experiences of being scared, and isolated during these attacks. Embroidering the walks helps me confront the fears caused by street harassment and meditate on these experiences while also cathartically allowing me to stab the fabric. The stitching emulates the act of walking; metaphorically speaking, every step is a stitch. 

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MFA in Applied Craft + Design Thesis Works