Brenda Mabel Reid
Underlay

Brenda Mabel Reid’s ongoing large-scale quilt project Underlay explores quilts, architecture and gender-queerness. Reid’s work challenges binary gender norms and uses quilted-architectural forms to explore quilting as a method of making a queer space that brings people together. Composed of 62 hexagonal blocks made of waterproof construction-grade materials, the form uses a classic tumbling block pattern that references both quilting and architecture. Each block is unique, featuring spray-painted patterns related to architectural drawings and materials. The blocks are modular and can be reconfigured via grommeted corners bound together using reflective nylon rope. This iteration of the project suggests an A-frame shelter or a child’s blanket fort. Visitors are invited to remove their shoes, enter the space, and sit or lie down on the futons provided as a place for contemplation or a relaxing nap. In a society predicated on productivity and a 24-hour news and entertainment cycle routinely focusing on crisis and spectacle, Reid proposes the nap as a restorative political action that incites us to revive ourselves and take up space in a joyful manner. As an object that encourages social engagement, Underlay endeavors to provide a safe space for reflection, regeneration, and community-building.

The artist acknowledges the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council.