Artist Nick DeFord seeks to examine the relationship of identity, space, and place. Working primarily with the ‘visual culture of cartography, occult imagery, geographical souvenirs and other structures of information’, he stitches and layers upon these objects in an attempt to give the work an ‘added inference of compulsivity craft, and concern’. He says in his artist statement “In order to examine that sutured boundary between the known and unknown, I select for subject matter places and themes that are infamous for their mystery. These mysterious themes may be the habitation of monsters, centers of conspiracy, occult devices, or vortices of mysticism. Strange locales, threatening in their otherness, provide stark contrast to the comfort and security of home… My work questions the efficacy of that process, the delicacy of the known world, and a reidentification within viewers of a sense of place and the unknown.”

Other Places: Hand-sewing on vintage pennants and postcards

Traitor: Hand embroidery on paper

Magic (Craft): Embroidery in book 

Libratorium: Scotch tape over non-fiction paranormal books 

Lost (Manhattan): Hand-embroidery on paper 

All photo credits to Nick DeFord

For more of Nick DeFord’s works, visit his website here!