Threshold: Basement
Threshold: Basement
2025, hand woven tapestry (wool, cotton, linen)
Dimensions: 27.5cm w x 35cm h
This tapestry is part of an ongoing series exploring the psychological and architectural intersections of the self and space.
Threshold: Basement draws from the SAFC building at Glenside - formerly a psychiatric hospital - and uses its history as a backdrop for reflecting on neurodivergence, mental health, and the complex relationships we have with both institutional structures and our internal landscapes.
A flight of basement stairs becomes a quiet symbol: not a descent into madness, but an ascent into the unknown. Is something really there? A flicker, a shape – real, imagined or remembered.
The work draws from the experience of being neurodivergent in a world built for sameness. The basement represents the “othered” space - forgotten, overlooked, but foundational. It invites viewers to consider what lies beneath: discomfort, introspection, shadow selves - and whether those parts deserve fear or compassion.
Woven in muted tones with subtle depth, this piece resists the decorative and leans into emotional realism. It invites pause rather than spectacle. The tapestry doesn't offer answers. Instead, it marks a threshold: between light and dark, self and system, perception and presence.
FINALIST: 2025 Tatiara Art Prize