Ryanne Florence
University of Toronto Mississauga joint with Sheridan College Oakville
Entanglement is a tapestry artwork that viewers are encouraged to touch, feel, hug, or engage with as they choose upon approaching the space the work occupies. Entanglement, at its core, is a work that aims to activate the five senses of an individual—inviting viewers to listen to their feelings upon looking, touching, and even smelling—because each person brings their own expression to the work. The tapestry can be read from left to right as a narrative, representing Florence’s five years in university through colour. Each panel of colour represents a period of time and an emotion that filled that time: white for the hopefulness of her first year, burgundy for the pain of the third year. Light and dark colours switch back and forth as her emotions have. The final panel is white once again to represent growth and returning to a hopeful period; the process the artist finds herself in currently. The looped yarn throughout the piece, evocative of a chandelier, illustrates the delicacy of time for Florence—leaving a fractured memory and a history full of holes. Each colour of yarn represents a constant emotional force— in variations from light to dark. Green representing subtle changes in the artist’s personality over time, and purple representing the lingering effects of mental darkness. Colour is a subliminal nostalgic trigger and, for Florence, a primary tool in the expression of memory.
Turn Into A Sunrise, 2018, 1st Tapestry made from cotton-blend fabric, yarn, acrylic paint, embroidery floss (4' x 5')
Detail from Turn Into A Sunset, 2019, 2nd Tapestry made from cotton-blend fabric, merino wool yarn, screenprinting ink (4' x 5')
Entanglement, 2019, 3rd Tapestry-based Installation made from cotton-blend fabric, yarn, acrylic paint mixed with blood meal, stuffing (25 feet long by 7 feet tall)
