The Long Becoming – Sharon Baxter
This textile figure explores metamorphosis as a remembering — a return to humanity’s inherent connection with the natural world. The figure exists in a liminal state between human and woodland being, her form shaped by twigs, fungi, moss and lichen that appear to emerge through her, and a moth upon her shoulder. She reflects the idea that humans are not separate from nature, but have become increasingly detached from it, and that renewal is possible through reconnection.
Drawing on folklore and textile processes, the work speaks to feminine relationships with land, time, and cyclical change. Stitching and folding mirror natural systems of growth and repair, where transformation is gradual, accumulative, and rooted in care. These processes echo rhythms found in both ecological cycles and women’s lived experience, where change unfolds over seasons rather than moments.
The figure’s grounded, seated posture suggests endurance and an inward turning. She occupies a threshold space — a period of deep transition in which identity is reshaped, wisdom is gathered, and new forms of selfhood emerge. Metamorphosis here is not rupture or loss, but an ongoing alignment with natural rhythms and inner truth.
Through its material language, the work proposes metamorphosis as a feminine, ecological intelligence — one that values intuition, resilience, and continuity. The figure stands as both reminder and guide, suggesting that by returning to nature’s cycles, we may also rediscover authenticity, belonging, and our place within the living world.