Friends and Lovers

by Janine Brown

“My work delves into the scientific origins of home economics, as well as, women’s unpaid labor. Embracing home economics, I intentionally use traditional craft skills, cooking, and sewing to create my work. Using kitchen chemistry, I cook all-natural bioplastics and bio composite materials. The bioplastics encapsulate layers of personal and cultural significance, including leftover meals, family financial statements, shredded U.S. currency, and the language of flowers. The composites are then stitched and crafted into objects and quilt patterns that explore the domestic constraints, pervasive myths, and capitalist demands placed on women, marriage, and motherhood. The biodegradable nature of the pieces introduces a critical tension: their longevity depends on the attentive care of their keeper, paralleling the ephemeral yet demanding nature of the domestic labor they critique.”