Page 55 - The Digital Cloth - holiday issue 5

eye-contact with each
animal on display. I “We have a choice to use the gift of our lives to make the world a
wanted to create an better place” (Jane Goodall)
interaction, create the
possibility of an exchange
of emotions and to let the species are facing extinction, increases my anxiety levels exponentially.
animal speak to its Those are the times, where I wish I was some celebrity and where I could
viewer. During both just tweet to all my millions of followers: ‘stop using plastic bags’ or
exhibitions, the feedback ‘let’s meet and clean up the beach’ and use
was very pleasing and I my power to get active. Unfortunately, I do
felt like I had reached my not have millions of followers and my
goal. I got my message resources are very limited, but what I’ve got
across. is a sewing machine and a lot of thread and I
But still, I was seeking for am not afraid to use it. It is my superpower
further impact and in terms of contribution and waking people up.
purpose of my portraits Art has always been a powerful medium of
and so I approached the game-changing and with textile art
Jane Goodall Institute experiencing a massive revival over the past
Austria, asking if they years, it has managed to polish up its image
were interested in some of being an art form rather than a craft and
sort of co-operation. contributes a vital part of the artivism
What I ended up with, movement. It empowers me to make use of
While studying my subjects in great was the opportunity of a lifetime! my skills and just like many fellow artists, I
detail and trying to recreate them with I had been given the chance to create will continue making the most of my tools and
my sewing machine, my attention was a portrait of ‘Wounda’, a special my gift to create change within my capacities.
being drawn to some of the plights chimpanzee lady that has not Janine is from Austria, Vienna
these species were experiencing. My only touched Dr. Jane Goodall’s heart www.textilewildlifeart.com
initial reaction was utter sadness, but that of many people. I agreed
thinking about extinction and my that this portrait would become a
children not being able to share this donation and that it would be used to
world with all these beautiful raise funds for the Jane Goodall
creatures! Institute. What wasn’t clear to me
That really has been a turning point in back then was, that Jane would sign
my career, as it gave a true the portrait and that I would auction it
meaning to my art by turning it into off together with her on stage and to
artivism and raising awareness as well raise 6500€.
as funds. It was the most humbling experience
I started to work on a series of I have ever had in my life:
portraits on endangered species, Jane, Wounda and I, making a
which I called ‘extinction is forever’. difference and being the change.
I used my social media channels to “We have a choice to use the gift
talk about the plight of these animals of our lives to make the world a
and I started to play with the better place” (Jane Goodall)
relationship between my portraits and Ever since I heard this quote, it stuck
the viewers. My focus lay on the eyes with me.
of the subjects and their Listening to the news every day and
expressions and all pieces were reading about UN reports,
created so the spectator would make
confirming that 1,000.000 million