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BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATIONS: The Abortifacients
This project began with a question: Can abstracted geometries be linked to the botanical nature of plants? I was seeking to represent and pay homage to the plants that have been used historically to control reproduction. Books such as Eve’s Herbs by John Riddle and The Herbal Lore of Wise Women and Wortcunners by Wolf D. Storl outline the medicinal nature of plants and how they have been used historically to support women’s health. This is an unfinished project that imagines a sustained connection between textile work, abstracted geometries and plants that hold historical and almost forgotten reproductive knowledge.
Shannon Slee, Gutter Geraniums, ‘Femboss’ jacket, mesh leather jacket, nana’s fabric remnants, wool, thread on found upholstery fabric, 130 x 230 cm, 2024
Image by Tobias Titz.
Shannon Slee, Gutter Geraniums (detail).
Image by Tobias Titz.
Shannon Slee, Noyes Vanderpoel Colour Analysis #1, wool, cotton, unknown fibre, dried geranium flowers on linen, timber frames, nails, 22 x 22cm, 2024.
Image by Tobias Titz.
Shannon Slee, Geranium Rag Painting, spun wool, pigment, ‘femboss’ rags, linen warp, timber frame, 33 x 60 cm, 2024.
Image by Astrid Mulder.
Shannon Slee, Lanky Queen Anne’s Lace, Artist’s own discarded silk skirt, hand-dyed linen, linen remnants, thread, on silk-linen backing. 132 x 132cm. 2024.
Image by Astrid Mulder.
Shannon Slee, Lanky Queen Anne’s Lace (detail).
Image by Astrid Mulder.
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