When contemplating a way to represent the life of Lynore Banchoff, the California-based poet, I was struck by the spirituality and calm that prevails not only in her writing but also in the way she deals with adversity. Lynore, who spent much of her life in Providence, Rhode Island quietly accommodates life’s challenges, allowing pain and pleasure to become reconciled, preventing events beyond her control from disrupting her inner peace.

 

After spending several weeks with her, I chose to express her life, work and philosophy in the form of a tapestry in which the threads, clothes and other elements of Lynore’s life are woven together, visually and metaphorically reflecting the poet’s internal and external life – past, present, and future.

 

The tapestry, whose base section features earth tones, is a material representation of Lynore. It is her height – five feet and ten inches high – and consists of fragments of articles of her clothing, dating from her childhood to the present, as well as other elements from her life, including items that are nostalgic and yet also ordinary – snippets of her everyday existence. They include: her prom dress, lace from her trousseau, her wedding set of towels, her son’s bib, her daughter’s Halloween costume and more. The fiber that makes up the warp is from historic Cooper Kenworthy Mill in Providence, creating a connection to the place in which Lynore spent much of her life.

 

The tapestry can be read in two ways: chronologically from bottom to top and thematically through the composition, according to different sections that are delineated by changes of material, contrasting colors and specific shapes.

 

The tapestry is incomplete. Holes and spaces are an important part of the piece because her life is not yet over – and what is still to come is unknown. Where she does have concrete goals for her future, I chose solid areas of color as the representation. Otherwise, her future is reflected by the open weave at the top of the textile itself.

 

The nature of the tapestry is personal and intimate. Wherever Lynore has lived, she has hung the piece in a prominent position to be enjoyed by her family, friends and herself, inspiring curiosity through its visual interest and it’s complex set of meanings. Now fifteen years old, the piece remains a living tapestry portrait of Lynore’s life.

 

 

Lynore's Artifact

Lynore wrote this recollection while we were working on our process to conceive the piece. It was one of the artifacts that gave me insight as to who she was and how she thought about her life.

 

"In January of 1991 [my daughter] Ann went to Ethiopia to work in a Soviet-American agricultural project. She learned about compost so she could teach the process to the people of two small villages south of Addis Ababa.

 

I was excited for her, proud of her generosity and commitment, but i missed her and found myself creating ways to connect with her in spirit. I bought a pair of earrings made from Ethiopian crosses and wore them often.

 

Then i decided to create my own compost pile and ordered a special container. Unraked leaves from the fall went into it along with some well-rounded worms. Almost daily I would traipse out with the garbage, sometimes wearing my robe or my boots. I had put the compost bin at the end of a small path, but in my mind I was crossing my territory and contributing to the great cycle of nature."