Bidonville #2

Susan J. Lapham

60 x 40 inches

2021

ARTIST STATEMENT

Bidonville, literally “houses in cans” are shanty towns built of salvaged materials located on the outskirts of North African cities. As a child living in Rabat and Carthage, the bidonvilles fascinated me. Construction materials included olive oil cans, petrol tins and rusty car parts. The repurposed items created a sort of graphic art characterized by bits of Arabic and gasoline and food advertisements. Imagine the creativity of people who can take an oil barrel, slice it up and turn it into a roof. My Bidonville series pays homage to the resourcefulness and beauty created by these families.

MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES

Commercial and hand-dyed cotton, cotton thread, silk batting

Intuitively cut fabric, machine stitched