Black Shawl
“The shawl, a congenial vessel, holds connotations to the body, draping it in the weight of history and labor, connecting personal expression with collective memory.”
This performance piece features a shawl woven with 75 pounds of black porcelain beads, exploring the meaningful movements inherent in the maker’s relationship with ceramics and clay. The weight of the shawl symbolizes the labor involved in creation, while the delicate porcelain beads contrast with their heavy presence, highlighting the complex balance of craftsmanship. The work draws inspiration from historic practices of women's labor and craftsmanship, honoring the resilience and significance of their contributions. Through this piece, the artist engages in a dialogue about the physical and emotional toll of creative labor, linking personal artistic process with the rich history of women’s work in the arts.
Making/Unmaking
In this performance, Thibodeau spent ten hours in a gallery, meticulously pinching raw porcelain flowers to form a wreath. The slow, meditative process reflected the quiet passage of time, with each flower symbolizing creation and labor. As the hours passed, the porcelain dried, and by the end of the performance, the wreath—once delicate and blooming—was crushed under the weight of Thibodeau's body. This act of reclamation, transforming the flowers back into raw porcelain, became a powerful metaphor for the cyclical nature of creation and destruction, emphasizing the impermanence of the work and the ongoing process of renewal.
Slip Dance
In this performance, Thibodeau engaged in a physical exploration of labor, endurance, and memory through touch, repetition, and movement. Two hundred pounds of porcelain slip were poured onto the gallery floor, and over hours of kneading and manipulating the material, it slowly transformed from liquid to solid, embodying the passage of time and the act of creation. The repetitive motions mirrored the rhythm of dance, each gesture deliberate and meaningful. As the porcelain dried, Thibodeau scraped the clay into the center, reclaiming it in a final, poignant gesture that reflected the cyclical nature of labor—creation, transformation, and reclamation—emphasizing the intimate connection between the body, memory, and the material.
