El vestido de Ingrid 2 / Ingrid’s Dress 2

This piece is part of the multidisciplinary “Ingrid López Project," a part of numerous fiber drawings developed over 7 years.

Ingrid was my beloved second cousin who unexpectedly passed away in 2016. She was dedicated to helping Latine immigrants start their lives in the United States and helped me along my own journey. The Ingrid López Project is a personal journey expressed through installation, sculpture, fiber, and video work in an attempt to heal my sense of loss.

The seeds of this project were planted when I attended Ingrid’s funeral. Her community reminiscing about her kindness and influence inspired me to work on this project for the past 8 years, connecting the dots between all these stories to learn more about all the altruistic acts that Ingrid did for others.

I am using Ingrid’s memorabilia to create embroidered tapestries while remaining conscious that my stitches are purposely reconstructing her clothing into new pieces, which allows me to process her death through making art. It also makes a social statement about immigration and the vulnerable experience of "otherness" in America. This project is especially relevant as it addresses these contemporary issues and challenges. This work aims to awaken empathy towards immigrants while commemorating Ingrid’s life. Growing up in Colombia and being an immigrant in the United States with a strong accent informs my practice and has shaped my life.

During the pandemic, meditation became a frequent practice for me. In this practice, I needed an image, especially with my attention deficit disorder, so I visualized an hourglass form. Working on the project became overwhelming; the research and the emotional and factual information made it hard to focus on the decision-making when constructing new work. I called upon the hourglass image and then worked with the small fragments of Ingrid’s clothing; it became clear that this hourglass motif needed to be realized, so I drew it with my embroidery.