The dimensional embroidery, termed by  me are actually local phrases made from thread wrapped around wire and wadding. Adele Todd’s dimensional embroidery, “DEM DOES MACO MEH TOO, DEM HEAD SPINNING, JEALOUSING, DEM CONFUSE ?”

I looked at the idea of our local slang words and their playful meaning in these works that I have coined as ‘dimensional embroidery.’ I use this name because my objective is to play with thread in a way where the material can come alive through continuous wrappings. These works are made with wire, wadding and miles and miles of threads.

The embroidery objects by Adele Todd wore by Feinin

Adele Todd at Trinidad and Tobago’s J’ouvert in 2009

Since the year 1999, I have been observing ways to make ‘Art’ at carnival time that breaks the boundaries of ‘mas.’ To me, carnival is a gigantic, uncharted territory of creative possibilities. In 2008, I decided that the ‘old mas’ character of Dame Lorraine should be revised. The Dame Lorraine was played by men in our carnival history. Men literally made fun of female frailties. Yet, today, women play the character. This was both puzzling and challenging to me.

Why would women parody themselves? Men are not doing this?  This led to the concept of looking in on the male from a female perspective.  I had always enjoyed the works of Aubrey Beardsley, and instantly the idea to ‘Perform’ one of his sexually charged works lept up at me.

No woman in our carnival history had attempted to ‘wear’ a phallic piece, in all this time. Surely, we enjoy making light of our politics with the satire of the ‘Bomb competition’ during the wee hours of Lunde Gras.  We wear the prosthetic breasts and bottoms, and men have extended the penis in play. But in all of the good fun, feminine imagery is blown up to an extreme of bikini mas. When women ‘play themselves’ they too seem to miss the irony of it all.

So, amidst the good fun, I chose to cut a path with my attire, and the response was beyond my wildest expectations. Men were stunned and women giggled. No one passed me by without comment, and more often than not, the comments were close to me, for my ears alone. Pictures abounded, flashbulbs went off in abundance and people wanted to pose with me at every step.

The approach from men was extremely revealing. Men commented from the funny to the delicately explicit. But always with a curiosity and respect.  “May I, can I…” The brave asked to touch, and it came from both sexes.

The combination of the obviously feminine wearer, nicely draped, and then the Bourroquite-like protrusion of the penis, gave rise (pun intended) to a bobbing and weaving of my presentation. However it was not mistaken for anything but what it was.

Examination of the Herald by Aubrey Beardsley

A Performance using embroidered fabric, sculpted foam form, upturned (hat)basket and feather. Duration of Performance – about five hours. From The Foreshore Freeway to Downtown Port-of-Spain

Embroidery on felt, Hit Adele Todd, 2000

The Trinidadian artist Adele Todd has allowed Feinin to interpret her work. Here is one of her felt pieces which represent the many ways people are punished in the Caribbean. A ruler and hot iron, a slipper, a rolling pin, a belt or worse yet a cutlass….whatever you have at the time of the confrontation. I like using written words.

Embroidery, Adele Todd explains is her art, or in other words her paint brush where she outlines and decorates the silhouettes . The woman running is screaming, she is also wearing a lovely polka dot dress stitched in red. “Domestic life does not prepare one for violence” says the Artist.

Hit by Feinin, 2009

Can art possess na inner power, can it do things which we have no control? In the process of documenting a detail of the silhouette, as I moved the ladder to the side, it tip over and smashed directly into the center of my history, breaking apart my father’s only plate and my Great Grand parents’ china tea cup and saucer.

Can art possess na inner power, can it do things which we have no control? In the process of documenting a detail of the silhouette, as I moved the ladder to the side, it tip over and smashed directly into the center of my history, breaking apart my father’s only plate and my Great Grand parents’ china tea cup and saucer.

HIT Family heirlooms May shatter on impact. Made in Trinidad and Tobago

My grandparents plate at Adele Todd’s Hit exhibition at the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago in 2000

Writing on the wall, embroidery

I deserved better

What is this life. Embroidery performance  2008

The Places that Scare Me

Performance brings out for me many hidden or difficult emotions. It is a liberator, and this is why I use it so often in my process as an artist. The Places that Scare me, gave me an opportunity to literally clean out the cobwebs of  personal hurts.
I also wondered, what if thread could work as Performance. I had been doing other texts with thick wadding. Words of power and in 2009, I worked with words a great deal. Words seemed to satisfy my range. It’s literal presence and the color choices as well as the thickness or thinness of the threads assisted in the meanings behind what could be read.

For example, you see and read on the head, “I deserve better.” When read, it becomes ‘your’ thought too.Each group of words was placed on the body, thus giving the look of a perminant marking, as well as an embroidery of beautiful markings. But being thread, it could easily blow away, disassemble, and so break the illusion that what the words represented was all that there was.

So in the end, by confronting “The places that Scare me” I put a light into the darkness and revealed strength.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Coat Of Arms assembled from thread and wire ~ a dimensional embroidered drawing.
Size:3 1/4′x 2 3/4′

This body of work took its focus from my concerns about governance. I had done work on domestic violence and violence in boys as they grow to adulthood. Yet my thoughts began to focus on the question,what about the emotional violence that is heaped on society when leaders go astray? That question led to this installation called,Patrimony.

Our prime minister’s name is Patrick Manning, and of late, many people have subverted the name to “Patrick Money.”

Ours is a country of great wealth. Apart from oil and gas, we are bountiful in many ways. We can grow sugar cane, cocoa, coffee. We are capable of so much, and yet, so many people in the country have terrible water problems, issues for good, affordable housing and other basic needs.

For everyone who flashes their Porshe or House and LandRover, there is a person waiting for a red band maxi.

The Coat of Arms related to Trinidad and Tobago as a very strong symbol, and I had been working with it for several years.
As a formally colonial island (independent in 1962)I wanted to look at this symbol of our nations aspirations and ask, where are we going? The threads in red resonated the dominant color of our nations’ flag. It also had a blood-like quality in its thin staitions that fell from the wire.

As the piece was installed, there was an unexpected moment of silence. We were quite spooked by the solemn nature of the work as it silently spun in space. We eventually broke our collective silence by talking about what we observed,and were surprised to learn that we found the piece extremely sad. Yet within that sadness, also sprang hope.

Adele Todd at the Space in 2008, Trinidad

Dhow Dhow and Pax Pax, three years of work using the technique of straight stitch applique

Violence Blooms, Adele Todd explains, ” In 2005 I was in China as a participant in the Second Beijing Biennial. In our last few days in the city, a friend and I found out about a wonderful Buddhist temple. We took a taxi and arrived in time for the latter half of the prayers in the courtyard of the temple.

Embroidered Anthuriums from the back

While there I observed some very detailed hanging curtains that were adorned with embroidered flowers done in traditional Chinese style. It was then that the idea for violence blooms emerged. The concept was to do much larger embroidery work on the theme of violence in boys as they grow to adulthood. I looked at the idea that Trinidad and Tobago on the one hand represents an idyllic space and yet faces so much internal conflicts from the people themselves.”

Detail of Anthuriums

Adele Todd Violence Blooms 2006-2009 Trinidad

Dhow Dhow and Pax Pax written in  Dimensional Dmbroidery

Treat me with dignity when I birth your nation

Hope embroidery on cotton 2009

Without closure, without forgiveness, where would we be?
the work, H O P E asks for such.

2002-2009,
many years of looking back on the work,
the wall of red beads,
the embroidery,
the mechanical nurses…

the emotional pain
based on the daily treatment
that many women face from their own sex,
in hospitals all over the world.

What you want is a kind word and good care
imagine yourself handling you

you would not be rude,
you would not be trite,
you would care.

The Oath states,
Do No Harm

yet, it is flouted every day in the world.

why?

Is it that we are just not what we think we can be?

Don’t speak ill, if your tired.

Don’t act when you don’t feel to,

until and unless
you remember that

All Care Is About Yourself

ALWAYS.

Parts of this performance was ruined by the failure of this camera. Do not support Pentax Hoya

Adele Todd All Rights Reserved 2009

I was touched by your work. You described accurately how so many of us feel about T&T! Although I have been living overseas for 20 years, I am still saddened by the continuing rise in crime. I’ve asked myself many times, how bad does it have to get before it starts getting better? The truth is, nothing will change until we do something about it. You’ve made a positive step. Continue raising awareness ! -  Tracey Drayton-Gomes

Can eight years of commitment to the topic of violence in boys as they grow to adulthood, culminating in the show Police an’Tief really change a nation?

I have asked this question about the power and purpose of Art.

I can now say,

definitively,

YES.

However one other thing is needed to make this statement true.

It is the reliance we place on each other.

We must make the effort to make these changes happen,they need not be elaborate, they can be as simple as looking someone in the eyes when talking to them. Then we will see through participation and genuine effort to change for the better that once started,simple acts will improve our well-being and that of those around us, leaving no need for shows like this… Adele Todd All Rights Reserved 2009

An artist project produced by Adele Todd and overseen by Richard Bolai. She is an embroider who spent five days in a place called the House to combat crime in her country. Since then from the 23rd of August, 2009, reports on homicide has dipped and in one place called Diego Martin, the daily bombardment of police, ambulance sirens and night helicopter surveillance have ceased. Let the flowers bloom once again

A detail of a handkerchief of which each of the thirty two were dabbed with either  perfume, cologne or baby power. This was to give a sence of memory and to remind the viewer that this was a person.

October 2rd, 2009

Today I got a call from RealArtWays telling me that they got a call from FexEx had held the box for security reason asking them to explain what exactly is ‘inside’ my embroidery.

I had to ask twice what was meant by the question? Did they think that perhaps I had infused the threads with some sort of drug?

The ingredient to my work is as follows-: Handkerchief linen, embroidery thread.

RealArtWays is one of the nation’s leading contemporary arts organizations is based in America.

Tonight, walking into the space, I was struck not only by the silence and the stllness, but the continued power of the pieces.

I got right to work. I had a great deal to do.

The work that started it all was laid at my knees, and I contemplated where it had taken me.

I cleansed the space with candles that burnt down quickly.

when I was leaving, I was made aware of a commossion on the street ajacent to “The House’, some

plain clothes policemen where speaking to a man whom they suspected to be a…tief…

Alone

As part of the invitation guests were asked to provide two small snacks. This was a small token in appreciation and as a sharing of communal offering.