Émeline Brulé
About
Émeline Brulé is a mother, an academic, a designer, and a textile enthusiast- not necessarily in that order. Becoming a parent paradoxically gave her the time to resume an artistic practice that she hadn’t made space for since leaving art and design school in 2012. Over the years, Brulé has maintained a craft practice, including mending and knitting. The newfound sense of presence that came with caring for an infant inspired her to return to my art practice. Through drawing, textile, and sculpture, she explore the relationship between humans, their tools, and motherhood.
Maintenance Actions
When I saw this call, it made me think about how child care feeds into my practice. I'm interested in that space between people and tools- how they mediate our perceptions and enable us to share what we see. As a mother, I get to see perception develop from the very beginning. Care is interesting because it's hard to show evidence. It’s not something that’s easy to document as it is happening, not by yourself in any case. It happens everywhere and at any time, doesn't stand out.
One artifact of care that speaks to my interest in tools and perceptions is the accidental pictures taken by my baby any time my phone is reachable to him. They show what caught his attention but also all the little things I do or we do: a fish disappearing in the museum aquarium, his shoe being put on, my chin, my hands, a light. He's become very intentional about it lately - which is, I suspect, a way for him to return my gaze, maybe divert it.
In addition to how they evidence care and maintenance, they require maintenance from me! Taken in bursts and series as well as videos, they quickly becomes an unruly body of files mixed between my drawings, everyday photographs, and saved images.
