Currently at the Library Street Collective in Detroit, Margo Wolowiec has a show on display featuring her “#rosegarden” series of works. Entitled Taking Over, the new pieces continue her exploration on the relationship between weaving and computing, both in the binary concept that each is based on as well as mixing the two in her creative process. She references social media for her imagery, taking the photos she finds through hashtags and geotags and then using a sublimation dye process to transfer them onto groups of threads which she then weaves and reassembles adding an abstract element to the works.
She further explains – “I began taking screenshots of news articles from verified and unverified online news media sites and incorporating them into my weavings. I paired these texts with images of roses and flowers collected from the hashtag #rosegarden. The rose acts as a foil for the text from news and media sources, with roses and rose gardens as symbols of beauty and hope but also wealth and power.
As I have continued to work through this series, the rose garden images have taken more and more prominence in each piece. I like that the florals are creeping in more, as I gradually give them more power and space within the work and push back against the news media texts. I think this is a symbol of my own hope for the future, and for the power and space that women are reclaiming in society. The best end to this year for me personally has been the outpouring of women who are speaking out against the high-profile, powerful men that have sexually abused them. It has been powerful and inspiring, and has given me hope that – despite a particularly bleak year – there is a bright future waiting for everyone.”
