dear grandpa
dimensions variable | hand-embroidered letter on fabric + typewriter + pedestal

 
​​My grandfather’s death made my grandmother’s passing seven years earlier seem final. I know it sounds strange – even writing it. I felt the finality and knew I had to come to grips with the fact that I have no living grandparents. Suddenly, I had so much I wanted to say. So, I decided to hand-embroider a letter to my grandfather, saying what I needed to say in that moment.

"Dear Grandpa" is a hand-embroidered, larger than life letter. Upon initial glance one might not even notice the embroidered scrawl: the cream thread provides little to no contrast to the gauzy cream fabric. One immediately gathers a sense of ephemerality upon viewing the weightless letter float from the rusty, sturdy, and well-used typewriter borrowed from my grandfather. The actual words of the letter are not important, rather, the idea of sending a message heavenward is stressed. Yet, if one wants to read what I wrote, the words are visible. Excess fabric falls from the typewriter onto the floor – the letter is not complete. 
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In reality, the letter says more than what appears. As I was hand-embroidering the piece, stroke by stroke, there was a longer conversation happening. So, on the surface is a letter but embedded in the piece is a conversation. 

Photos by Paul Perdomo