cassie normandy white

The word fabric comes from the Latin word faber, meaning smith, a word imbued in connotations of building. Letting Tenderness Show is an immersive sculpture that simulates the mechanics of ancient plant species who were builders of soil and air chemistry. Thousands of dyed fabric discs were sewn together, each resting on a single knot of thread to symbolize the simple stem-and-leaf construction of mosses. Suspended in a spiral, the strands represent the range of colors found in various stages of a moss’ life cycle. The process of dyeing the fabric is an exciting unpredictable experiment, dependent on many factors. Material composition, the humidity of the air, and natural folds all affect how the dyes react to the fabric, expressing variation, often beyond my control. Once dry, cutting the shapes and producing sewn strands became a daily practice of committing my hands to a generative task, while letting my mind rest.

This work was inspired by the poetic research of Robin Wall Kimmerer, expressed in her book Gathering Moss. She explains how ancestors of present-day mosses carved out spaces for more advanced plant life to flourish, and are believed to be the first form of plant life who crept out of the oceans onto land 450 million years ago. They extracted nutrients and minerals from igneous rock, releasing high quantities of oxygen into earth’s atmosphere, irreversibly steering evolution’s preferred path toward oxygen-breathing life. Often called pioneer species, these organisms are the first to colonize previously disturbed or disrupted environments. They have remained largely unchanged in their mechanics, and evolved to live in barren, unpredictable places. Lacking true root systems, they cannot control their water content, and instead, fluctuate with the humidity of their environment. Kimmerer thoughtfully reflects on mosses as models of flexibility and patience, strengthened by their versatility and resilience. They can withstand lengthy periods of time without water, sometimes years, yet are able to spring back to life and begin photosynthesis as soon as water is present. Letting Tenderness Show demonstrates the continuous revival that occurs within these organisms. Collections of strands create transition between lushness and desiccation, representing how a single tuft of moss may dry and rehydrate again and again.