So much for slowness

So much for slowness (2023)

Lan “Florence” Yee

Transparent fabric panel with printed image of side-view two-legged wooden chair and urban street background, with brownish red text reading 'so much for slowness' embroidered into the fabric.

Transparent fabric panel hangs in the gallery window with printed image of side-view two-legged wooden chair and urban street background, with brownish red text reading 'so much for slowness' embroidered into the fabric. To the left is a small sculpture under a glass bell jar on a plinth.

Close up photo of a textile artwork. The letters 'mu' are stitched in thick letters in brown and beige to match the textile background behind.

Close up photo of a textile artwork. The word 'for' is stitched in thick letters in red and brown to match the textile background behind.

Close up photo of a textile artwork. The word 'slow' is stitched in thick letters in grey and beige to match the textile background behind.

Close up photo of a textile artwork. The word 'slowness' is stitched in thick letters in grey and beige to match the textile background behind.

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During lockdown, many voices within the arts declared a need for slowness, for care, for systemic change, and for long-term, sustainable solutions. For almost two years, we witnessed the ways cultural workers could pivot to reduce barriers and provide more resources to the most precarious in our community. A year after ‘re-opening,’ there are few spaces that retain that same desire and ethos for sustainability.

This textile print of a chair with only two legs left – hand-embroidered with the words ‘so much for slowness’ – speaks to the quick entrance and quicker exit of slowness as an artistic concern in many institutions in the wake of the pandemic. The font and brick-stitch patterning resemble a machine, making the labour that went into its creation invisible.

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