bikini project

For this project, I was asked to create a personal souvenir that related to my experience with LA.

In creating my souvenir, I was inspired by my mom, who grew up in LA. Her favorite memories of her childhood are the summers she spent with her Aunt and Uncle. During the day, she would ride her bike with her friends. At night, while her older siblings went out to parties, my mom would stay home with Aunt and Uncle and play Yahtzee. These moments spent with the adults became some of her most cherished childhood memories.

To reflect this experience, I wanted to use Yahtzee to create my souvenir. I started by rolling dice covered in ink onto a clear sheet to create a pattern. The resulting pattern is a combination of abstract shapes that were created by the actual motion of the dice rolling, as well as shapes that are more recognizable as dice (these were created when the dice stop rolling and settled on a side). I screen printed the pattern onto fabric. I chose to screen print it in blue because it is the color my mom associates with LA.

Once I had the process of rolling the dice to create a pattern, the final form of the souvenir, a bikini, just made sense to me. When my mom was younger, she used to make her own swimsuits, cutting out the fabric and piecing it together using a sewing machine. As an adult, my mom continued to sew. From creating elaborate Halloween costumes for me and my brother to sewing the dress I wore for my high school graduation. As I stayed up late into the night, sewing these bikinis, I was reminded of all of the work she put into each of the items she sewed for us. The late nights she must have spent balancing her family’s wants and needs with her own hectic schedule. And this dedication goes way beyond her sewing projects. As I created this souvenir for her, I was able to really feel and appreciate everything she did, and still does, for us.