Lettie Ragsdale

Textiles

She/Her

My practice explores interdependence, and environmental connection through weaving and basketry. I challenge our current hyper-digital society by foregrounding collaborative processes and embodied human connection. Through encoding ASCII binary into woven cloth, my work translates digital systems into tactile forms.

Binary Offline

As digital technologies become increasingly embedded in everyday life, the distinction between purposeful and passive usage has become blurred. Binary Offline addresses the lack of meaningful, embodied engagement within today’s digital society by exploring the reintroduction of artisan practices.

Using The Isles of Scilly as a case study, this project draws upon the values of a resilient, interdependent community shaped by environment and shared skills. Inhabitants of The Isles of Scilly (otherwise known as Scillonians) maintain a strong commitment to sustainability, referred to by one as “a slow and steady way of life”. Primary research with this community informed the embodiment of Scillonian values such as collective effort and mindful making throughout the collection.

‘**A Stranger on my Street**‘ – a weave using yucca leaves that a kind woman on my street permitted me to harvest from her garden.

‘**Interdependence**‘: binary-encoded data from my primary research with Scillonians.

Sculptural Basketry

Using daffodils, yucca, and willow bark