Hey, Don’t You Know? Thai Hwang Judiesch

Hey, don’t you know? It’s already the end of the world. I’ll meet you right here, In the future, and we can talk about, What our parents’ parents did wrong And how we will do better. For a moment we can untangle ourselves into thin silver lines, And make sense of this point (that is different from other points) And find safety in that knowing, Or perhaps we can just feel held by all the sticky webs, And sink ourselves under the thin covers of time, wondering if we tug just so That some[where] our parents’ parents’ parents might feel it.

Here at the end of the world, We can imagine history happened differently, Or that umber possibilities that have long since been discarded, Or dumped in riverways that lead to the ocean, Can be rediscovered Hanging on a fin of a fish, Or around the neck of a turtle, Or tangled up in seaweed. We can imagine that this was where our soul last left off, And pick it back up again.

Here at the end of the world, We can finally mourn and wail deep indigo And allow the ghosts crowding our houses to be put to rest, Or, if they wish, to roam freely Between ether and orange sky. Where clouds that look like willow trees Chatter on different time—lines And remember different memories. We can hold their phantom pain, And cry about what-could-have-been-but-never-was.

Here at the end of the world, We can dip our fingers into honey And gasp in between this realm of pleasure and pain that helps us feel the future. We can dream about freedom, wake up again, And remember that we are alive. That some[where] between here and there Exists eternity and it is ours if we want it.

Hey, don’t you know?

It’s already the end of the world.

Sarah Demers’ Tough Love was inspired by research done by the artist on quilt making and the sculptural potential of the medium, ultimately culminating in a reimagining of quilted garments worn under medieval armour. Demers’ work centres bell hooks’ concept of a “love ethic”, from her book All About Love – an idea that stresses the work of enacted, mutual care. The decision to create armour in the style of a decorative quilt is the artist’s way of putting certain binaries into question. As also discussed by hooks, these binaries include supposed opposition of certain feminine and masculine tendencies and expressions: philosophies of care versus those of domination, two principles that have historically stood in conflict with one another.

“Quilts are an act of love”, says Demers, emphasizing the roles of the object as both reflections of and extensions to notions of love, care, protection, and labour. In Demers’ work, armour represents a rejection of these qualities, “[standing] in for the concept of the “ethic of domination” …where qualities such as sensitivity, openness to others, and a caring disposition are at best dismissed or at worst heavily punished, especially in men.”1

Tough Love works to combine these disparate elements, creating a visual juxtaposition that questions the societal segmenting of love and protection, and ultimately asks if both can exist together. Demers hand sewed each triangle used in her artwork, favouring a softer, pastel colour palette. Her labour reflects the ethos of a “love ethic”, one that is implicit in the craft of quilt making. The resulting work is a poetic take on questions that challenge societal binaries–questions central to forming new ways of being that celebrate and honour the tenets of protection, care, and love.