Summary

This 114cm x 93cm hand-embroidered quilt was created by artist Nicole Kemp and features thirty 10 x 10 cm embroidered squares. Nicole, an art teacher based in Ormond, Victoria, came up with the idea for the quilt and starting working on it during the beginning of lockdowns in Victoria in March 2020. 'During both Melbourne lockdowns, staying in contact with my creative friends meant Zooming', she reflected, 'I challenged many to record their thoughts, feelings and reactions to our new COVID-19 lifestyle by producing small 10 x 10cm embroideries that recorded our reactions to local and world affairs each week. Others moved onto other projects, but for me it became a way to order my thoughts, slow my mind and calm my anxiety.' After stitching the patches together and adding words that she had sketched in her art folio, Nicole completed work on her quilt in January 2021.

Physical Description

Embroidered quilt featuring thirty 10 x 10cm square panels.

Significance

This quilt provides a dynamic, emotive and powerful representation of the lived experience of COVID-19 in the State of Victoria from March 2020 - January 2021. With a focus on domestic and world news, each patch speaks to a wide range of contemporary issues including: mask wearing, Dan Andrews press conferences, gendered disparities in work, the arts and childcare during COVID-19, coronavirus testing clinics, Zoom meetings, First Nations solidarity, lockdown restrictions in Melbourne and also international affairs such as the Trump presidency, Wuhan wet markets, the digging of mass graves in Brazil and international travel borders being closed. It also provides a lasting reminder of the importance of art, and creative mediums such as quilting, as a vehicle for individual and collective healing.

This quilt was collected with support from the Office for Suburban Development as part of the Museums in My Neighbourhood Project, and now forms part of Museum Victoria's Collecting the Curve COVID-19 Pandemic Collection.

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