Featured MFA: Sarah Brooks
Our featured first year MFA for this week is textiles artists Sarah Brooks!
Sarah Brooks (she/her) is an artist, craftsperson and knowledge seeker. Graduating from NSCAD University in 2019, she received her BFA majoring in Textiles (minor AH). Sarah pursues many different creative making processes such as; weaving, sewing, screen-printing, dye methods, painting, photography and design. Sarah has co-created and participated in various curation collectives and group projects, some including; Siawa’sik (2019) - a group curated display with the Indigenous Exhibition/ Methodologies Class at NSCAD University and shown at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax. Amntu’kati Spirit Place (2019) - a Textiles and Ceramics Installation in collaboration with Cynthia Martin at NSCAD University Port Campus, Treaty Space Gallery in Halifax. Sarah is from the Mi'kmaw community of Sɨkɨpne'katik, First Nation. Since graduating in 2019, Sarah has been employed through CMM (Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq) and St. Mary’s University, contributing to the project titled T’an Weji-sqalia’tiek: Mi’kmaw Place Names.
If you want to know more about Sarah, check out her instagram and read more about her practise and studio work!
@mytinylanguage and @brookstextiles
We visited Sarah in her studio on Fountain Campus in the Textile Department (H220).
What is an important in your studio practice?
Plant identification has been a very prominent aspect in my recent work, as I’ve been focusing greatly on ways of reactivating Indigenous material culture - specifically relating to Mi’kmaw people and being in Mi’kma’ki. I’m walking, mapping, photographing and recording what I see in my immediate urban landscape. I'm also looking to investigate what plants are grown in parks, public spaces, and what plants are organically growing in between these spaces. I’ve been really enjoying going for walks and seeing what’s around me, beginning to learn to identify different trees, plants and foliage that I come across on my walks
I’m thinking more intently about the land I’m on - what stories and histories are here. I want to understand better what’s here now and what was once here. By connecting with the living plants and the identification of these plant species, I hope to learn more of that story. I want to become well-versed in what these histories are, and I also want to share what I find with others.
Alongside this field work, I’m beginning to do research based around archived materials in the Nova Scotia Museum. The particular archived materials I’m learning about pertains to their collected pieces of Mi’kmaw made objects. Some of these objects include textiles made from plant materials. To begin this research, I’m looking particularly at cordages that were made which naturally resemble the likes of hemp or flax fibres. These cordages were pieced together in a wrapping or twining technique that strike similarities to leno weave structures. I’m looking to delve more into this research to find more evidence of what specific plant fibres were used, where and how they were sourced, and what construction methods were used to make these plant fibre textiles. Some of these archived materials are over several hundreds of years old. It’s very special to work towards uncovering some of that history of lost Mi’kmaw material culture.
Some physical work that I’m doing right now is weaving. I recently set up a linen fibre warp onto my loom and I’m beginning my first attempts at leno weaving. Learning to work with the flax linen fibres is a good starting point for me to relate back to using a more naturally sourced and sustainable material. I’m hoping later to make my own cordages using scavenged and harvested plant matter. My goal eventually is to hand-weave using a similar method to leno, and to incorporate plant fibre cordages that I’ll be making.
Do you have special object in your studio?
I don’t keep anything too precious at my studio space on campus. But something special that sits on my desk next to my computer in my living room - is a framed polaroid photo I took of my childhood home. I took the photo the last day I was there, before my family permanently moved. That was about 4 years ago now.