"Will You Sleep With Me?"
Various Fabrics, Quilt Batting, Cyanotype, Found Furniture
2023
“Will You Sleep with Me” is an interactive textile installation that explores the
conflict between the isolation of sickness and the need for human connection through
the object of the bed. Viewers are invited to use clean, gentle hands to explore the
layers of bedding and discover what lies beneath the surface. I seek to portray not only
a disabled identity but also concepts of gender, sexuality, and religion that influence my
experiences in this space. The time and labor of the fiber techniques used reference the
experiences of being bedridden while simultaneously creating a physically comforting
object. My work in textiles and installation explores the intersection of craft and identity. I
use bright colors and playful aesthetics to explore how I relate to the world as a young
disabled woman. I use this lens to explore themes of loneliness, monotony, and
nostalgia. How does one deal with the need to be known and yet hidden? How is this
aspect of the human condition exaggerated by disability and chronic illness?
Read more about this project: https://issuu.com/mishaknappe/docs/ip_sleep_portfolio_pages
