Hand-sewn wool mattress with madder-dyed cotton herringbone binding, part of the Jerayah project

Mattress/ג׳אריה (Jerayah)

2020 · In collaboration with Wendy Wustenberg; project assistance from Martje Oostra
Leicester sheep’s wool, organic cotton herringbone, synthrapol, soda ash, gallotannin, aluminum acetate mordant, staghorn sumac flowers, iron, madder roots, nylon tufting twine, nylon thread, merino and Leicester felt.
Hand-sewn wool mattress with madder-dyed cotton herringbone binding, part of the Jerayah project

Mattress ג’ראיה is a gift from the artist to her son, created so that he can be connected to the Jewish traditions Tamir once experienced as a child in her homeland of Israel. Tamir did not learn the tradition of mattress-making from her family — she learned it while separated from them by thousands of miles, living in the Twin Cities. To recreate the mattress, she formed a new community of artists, farmers, and artisans who taught her to shear and card wool, dye, and upholster by hand — imbuing the piece with a new tradition and community built around her family here.

Text adapted from the exhibition catalog.

First shown in Teachable Moment, Stove Works Gallery, 2020; later exhibited again in Carriers for Posterity, Law Warschaw Gallery, 2022.

With thanks to Windswept Hill Farm, Stove Works Gallery, and the University of Minnesota for their support.
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