BELLA CARDIM

In this work, I weave measuring tapes into a textile structure that deliberately stops before completion. The weaving is interrupted before it reaches its end. It becomes a pause, a moment of reflection and decision.

Will we continue weaving our lives through standards that were imposed on us, or can we choose to stop and reconsider the structures we inherit?

The work transforms instruments of measurement into threads, shifting their function from control to structure. What once measured bodies now becomes material for weaving.

Visually, the work draws from memories rooted in Brazil. The woven pattern recalls the plastic webbing of beach chairs, a familiar presence along the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, where strips of color are stretched, crossed, and tensioned to create a surface that supports the body. This structure becomes an important visual reference for the work, connecting measurement to support, restriction, and the physical experience of the body.

The colors also evoke the ribbons of Senhor do Bonfim, the vibrant palettes of Rio’s beaches, and the sensory abundance of open-air markets. Through color, texture, and repetition, everyday materials become carriers of cultural memory.

Weaving has historically been associated with domestic and feminine labor. Here it becomes both homage and critique, acknowledging generations of women who quietly sustained social structures through care, repetition, and making, while questioning the standards that continue to shape and discipline our bodies.