Sadie Rose du Vigneaud

My project, i wish i could sink, i want to be consumed, is a series of embroidered illustrations that explore the feelings of being overwhelmed and isolated often experienced by girls. Historically dismissed as a woman’s craft, embroidery is characterized by a delicacy that accords with common views of girlhood. The daintiness of the medium contrasts sharply with the heaviness of the theme explored: the ordeal of growing up as a young girl. I grew up at a time when the influence of the Internet was becoming pervasive. My development and experiences were shaped by my digital explorations, which presented me with images of glamorized girlhood as I grappled with adolescence. How does one become the perfect girl at 13? Striving for perfection, I counted calories and shaved myself raw as I prepared to engage in competitive swimming, a sport demanding both athleticism and artistic performance. In my illustrations, I depict the cold, harsh environment of the swimming pool with a girl hiding in the depths, wanting only to sink. In Lonely Women, I explore the loneliness and emptiness of life for women in a patriarchal world, as presented in Colette's book The Vagabond. I am a multimedia artist who was shaped by the process of growing up in an isolated setting in the Old South, a place where myths, folk tales, and ghost stories circulated freely. Dwelling is a short animated film about a young woman who moves to an old abandoned house in the countryside, where she discovers an unwelcome spirit. A somber film that presents scenic views and grand empty rooms, it explores themes of loneliness and unlikely companionship. The eldest of seven children, I spent my childhood performing domestic labor forced on me because of age-old gender roles. My labor, and that of other eldest daughters, is often ignored and unacknowledged.