Meg Morley

Chain Sinnet #2868, 2023

Reed 33"h x 66"w x 7"d

This series is an exploration beyond the functional uses of knots as documented in Clifford Ashley’s Book of Knots from 1944, demonstrating an appreciation of knot forms utilizing craft processes and materials. By modeling knots at a large scale using sculptural basketry techniques, my goal is to convey a shape that maintains the “correct” qualities of a documented knot, while presenting a joyful interpretation that asks the viewer to consider questions about weight, friction, density, and form versus function. Chain Sinnet #2868 is one of thousands of knots documented in the Book of Knots. This version models its instructional diagram, deploying sculptural basketry techniques to create an open rope-like shape that is loosely “tied” into the knot.

Meg Morley

You Are Special. Just Like Everyone Else., 2024

Cotton rope, plaster, homasote Variable. As shown, 35"w x 66"h x 8"d.

Simple materials in familiar shapes. Recognizable, comforting. Soft rope, the process of weaving, making multiples, meditation. Woven, over and under, over and under, a repetitive process. Grids, organized and structured. Rules, familiarity, process. Expectations met. No surprises. Structure, control, predictability... these are my comfort zones. Introducing plaster was meant to codify comfort, capture and freeze the still shapes. Instead, it was chaos, total havoc, what a mess! I initially fought back, straining to keep control over the perfect woven grids - sewing them, glueing them, stretching them back into perfect squares. Until I stopped. And just. let. go. They started to dance a little, and a little more. We got into a playful rhythm, a conversation, a flow. That’s a bit about the process. The story is another part. How often do you get stuck in a place of feeling like you’re not good enough? Perhaps falling short, not living up to an idea of someone else’s expectations. In my case, I was told I could grow up to be anything, do anything. What an expansive, exciting endeavor that seemed to suggest I should, in fact, become something extraordinary. Internalized pressure, tightness, control, rigidity. This work relies on repetitive and familiar shapes - our same-ness - and allows the process to open up the possibility for individuality. It considers how we can celebrate ourselves as special, indeed extraordinary, yet fully accept that we are all good enough - just like everyone else - at the same time. Exhaled relief, softness, relaxed, play.

Meg Morley

The Less We Worry, 2024

Reed, Wool, Cotton Approx. 60"h x 55"w x 9"d

As a fiber art practitioner, traditional 'comfort objects' are in my wheelhouse — including soft, tactile tapestries and hand-stitched quilts that evoke joy. But comfort objects can encompass much more than the obvious. They are defined by their ability to soothe and reassure us, so they are crucial during a time of stress. For me, there is calm in organization, grids, familiarity, and rules. “The Less We Worry” uses traditional craft-based processes – both frame-loom weaving and paired-twining basketry techniques – to create a warp and a weft which are deployed in an abstract manner intended to suggest an exhalation, ease, or comfort in the sense of relaxing any tightness we may carry.