CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Blood Scarf, made of vinyl tubing, may be the most controversial of Splan’s work; the embroidered HIV virus is just one of the deadly viruses featured in Splan’s Doilies series; Prozac, Thorazine, Zoloft is a group of latch-hook rug pillows that were mind-numbingly time-consuming to make.

 

own blood in pieces like your Wallpaper/Samples series. What about your work that involves skin? LS: My recent skin-related work involves sculptures constructed out of cosmetic facial peels. I apply a common drugstore peel-off mask to my entire body and peel it off in one large “hide,” which is used as fabric that I embellish with embroidery. I’m currently working on a negligee, and plan to create several other objects for the series, which is called Trousseau. I like the idea that all of the peels have the impression of my own skin on them. JJ: Your recent work includes intricate doilies that depict the structure of different viruses. Can you tell us about the creation process? LS: Doilies is a series of free-standing, machine-embroidered doilies mounted on velvet, each design based on a different viral structure. I begin with a digital image of the virus and base a graphic design on it. The design is imported into embroidery software, where the stitches are laid out. Finally, the designs are output from a computerized embroidery

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machine onto water-soluble fabric. When the fabric is dissolved, only the thread that forms the doily remains. This free-standing doily is then mounted and framed. ×

 

See more of Splan’s extraordinary creations at laurasplan.com, or at upcoming shows Nov. 8– March 9 at the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City, and Jan. 18–March 7 at Spaces Gallery in Cleveland.

Watch Splan’s doilies and other processes unfold on KQED Public Television’s Spark: craftzine.com/go/splan

 

Julie Jackson is the author of Subversive Cross Stitch: 33 Designs for Your Surly Side (Chronicle Books, 2006). A total web addict, she’s the force behind subversivecrossstitch.com, snarkymalarkey.com, and kittywigs.com.