Erica Kirsop

Reflecting on both archives and artistry, Erica revisited the works that first captivated her as a child art from local Native American museums and pieces her parents collected. She realised that the creations she loved most, whether textile or paint, were large, boldly colored and told clear stories.

Inspired by these memories, Erica created Shifting Desert Dream: Leap or a Fall, a vivid larger-than-life dreamscape inviting viewers to decide its ending. While storytelling through fibre is ancient, her “choose-your-own-adventure” is a fresh spin on the tradition. At its centre a young woman moves toward different outcomes depending on the viewer’s position: hopeful as she leaps toward a full glass of water, despairing as she falls toward one spilled and dried in the sand or descending quickly into the unknown. Like a true dream, the scenes shift the longer they are viewed or in this case as the viewer moves.

The environment, stitched with six-strand floss, feels whimsical, yet the girl crafted from layered single and double strands with careful shading remains realistic and grounded. As in real dreams, the dreamer feels tangible while everything else changes. Through this work, Erica hopes to evoke in viewers the same wonder she felt as a child discovering the vibrant worlds of textile and painted art.