Using textile, sculpture, performance, and video, my work is a sensory examination of somatic empathy and compassion fatigue. For many years I have been considering empathy’s role in healing and creating relationships in opposition to the isolation of trauma and institutionalized violence. Research shows how trauma shuts down our senses, and can compromise synchronous interactions and the ability to empathize. With this in mind, I’ve created social spaces such as colorful inflatable sculptures that the audience can enter, touch, experience their own body, and engage with one another in multisensory play.
Since 2008 I have been working with parachute fabric. Using traditional craft techniques that have been called “womxn’s work” like dyeing, staining, stitching, and sewing, I am transforming the militant material into colorful installations. The installations invite visitors to enter a meditative state and immerse themselves in bright colors.
Contact: tamarettun@gmail.com
