CARPET DIEM

“My new work, Winged Wāri, emerged as devastating floods swept across Nepal in August 2026. Unable to help in a meaningful physical way, I turned to the quiet, instinctive act of drawing and creating as I processed the devastating news. Then in dialogue with my weaving partners in Nepal, the textile pieces for this work became a shared response to what was unfolding. Together, we named the work Winged Wāri, drawing from a Nepali word associated with water and rivers.

Reflecting on the lives, animals, and landscapes lost, I layer handcrafted wool and silk textiles from Nepal with embroidered deep-blue mirror to create a fragmented, floating organism – part moth, part flower, part river, part spirit. It appears suspended between forms: something broken apart, yet still becoming. The mirror catches the viewer and the surrounding world, creating space for transformation and remembrance.

Winged Wāri is an artwork born from within a moment of crisis – from fear, uncertainty, and a powerful need to process grief while offering a vibrant gesture of connection and hope. It is both a response to what has been lost and an act of continuing: to weave our story, communicate across cultures, endure disaster, and imagine what can emerge from what remains.”