Consumed., 2013
Cotton, silk and thread. 36" x 47"
In this fabric collage, I honor the spirit, laughter and courage of the women who worked to support loved ones, fought hard for justice and laughed with friends inside garment factories. Factories in which they were consumed, first by long hours and low wages and then by flames when they were unable to flee through locked exits. Exits locked by factory owners who value profits over workers’ lives, and unsafe working conditions tolerated by governments, manufacturers, and investors who fail, decade after decade, to recognize the sanctity of all lives. Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the memory of grandmothers, mothers, sisters, wives, and friends, currently fuels hundreds of women worldwide and their allies to insist upon safe and fair working conditions for all people everywhere.
