Embroidery is something I so admire. While I have infinite patience regarding knitting, embroidery is something I don't excel at, nor do I have have the patience for. X-rays have always fascinated me as well... Our bodies are made up of so many things we cannot see, working in harmony to keep us alive. Having had the occasional glimpse inside my body - whether it be an x-ray, a sonogram or a really deep cut, it's pretty wild to see what's happening beneath the skin. Our bodies do some pretty amazing things.
Check out the below work by Matthew Cox, an artist who combines x-rays and magnificent embroidery. Original article found here.
Playfully Embroidered X-Ray Film by Matthew Cox
by Kate Sierzputowski
Adding a touch of softness to stark images of knees, skulls, and chests, Matthew Cox uses bright thread to embroider on X-ray film. His additions add a playful fiction to the cold reality of the transparent film, giving body parts the faces of Greek gods and limbs of anger-prone superheroes. Each stitch on the medical photograph acts as a line for Cox, a labored drawing produced from vibrant thread.
The Philadelphia-based artist enjoys the contrast of his two chosen materials, redefining each of their roles through their unique combination. “By joining the cold, blue, medically-technical plastic of the X-ray with the colorful, decorative and tactile embroidery thread, each is removed from its original intention and creates a new entity,” said Cox. “Handling these media also gives me an opportunity to comment on the ever-increasing presence of photography in contemporary art by introducing labor over the quick, slickness of film.”
Cox’s will show a selection of his embroidered works this summer at Sweden’s Fiberspace. You can see more of his works on his Instagram here.
