How can individual words connect with a bigger idea?

Marie Watt created this piece by stitching together pieces of wool blankets. Blankets have very long and significant cultural and historical significance for Indigenous people.

“…we give blankets away to honor people for standing witness to important life events.”

Marie Watt

Marie Watt embroidered English words on top of the blanket scraps. All the words relate to how Indigenous women see and describe themselves and also how Indigenous women might be perceived and described by other people.

This work from Watt’s series Companion Species is a years-long and collaborative project that focuses on the roles of women and animals.

As Watt states:
“I think that when one is raised to think of animals as teachers and also as extensions of us—our relatives or relations—you’re less likely to be able to separate how our actions affect the environment, animals, and the natural world.”