In 2014 Artificial Heart began as an art studio practice initiative that repurposed good pieces of gently used clothing into works of art – that transformed thrift store finds into hand-embroidered, wearable objects worthy of passing down to grandkids. The pieces were stitched with references to the mechanical – to the wheels, cogs, nuts and bolts we typically take for granted, that deliver us our necessities and comforts, exquisite enough in form to weave into what is worn every day, painstakingly by hand. I put it all away to travel through the Americas by motorcycle (for another art initiative called In Search of the Frightening and Beautiful). Prompted by the need for Covid-protective face coverings, I revived the Artificial Heart concept: to create wearable, sustainably produced and accessible artworks that look and feel as great as they are thought-provoking, as modes of moving communication. What’s emerged is a growing, ever-changing variety of bags, clothing, face masks, patches - and more to come - embodying the ideas and impressions I explore in my non-functional artwork – all stitched and hand-crafted using, whenever possible, secondhand materials destined for landfills. Each piece is lovingly flawed, bearing the mark of its previous user, who perhaps wore and outgrew it or donated it as surplus; the occasional paint smatter, smudge, misplaced bump or crease is evidence of a material’s former life. Johnson, one at a time in a Houston, Texas studio, at the bottom of the United States. Follow Artificial Heart on Instagram .i.ficial.heart, and at https://heatherLjohnson.com/artificial-heart.
