Nike Schroeder is a Los Angeles based artist who uses free machine embroidery to explore human experience and play at the edges of abstraction and surrealism.
This week we are featuring the first four works in Nike’s Shortstop series: “I transformed small photobooth snapshot pictures into lifesized stitched artwork.
“The inherited immediacy in the actual photo is counterpictured by the elaborate detail and work that went into the picture displayed. It presents itself as a great challenge to not be able to edit the images or make a selection, but taking the strip as is.
“These photos were taken 2010 in Los Angeles in a bar called the short stop and is still a present piece of work. I have collected new strips and the plan is to also stitch them.”
Using needle and thread, Nike takes time to capture snapshots of unplanned behaviour. The tension between the length of production and the immediacy of the content is apparent in Nike’s description of her deliberate non-editing of these pieces. With a process like this there is a constant opportunity to modify the content and it takes some discipline to resist it; Nike honours spontaneity as best one can with embroidery.
You can find out more about Nike on her website, and on her Instagram and be sure to check out our other posts as well!
What Technique Is This?
This is free machine embroidery and if you want to find out more about it, check out our dedicated post!
Are you at the Cutting (& Stitching) Edge? Do you know of an artist that we should feature? Get in touch!
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