One of the projects I had the good fortune to be involved with came to fruition in late spring of 2026. It is called Stories of Spirit and Spirits.

Many months prior, my exceptionally talented, creative, beautiful friend Jessie Owens asked if I would be interested in making costume and set pieces for an experimental movement and sound composition she was developing as part of an ensemble called Soft Rocks.

It was one of those moments when you look behind you and wonder… are you talking to me?

It was also a moment when I felt an immediate, internal yes!!! along with a lot of worry that I might be out of my league.

Fast forward and the making began in earnest~ screens, sculptures, crowns and hats… it was the most fabulous experience, to get to co-create with artists who are working in a medium I don’t practice myself but appreciate so much. I got to play with ideas and stretch my own limits to make something new- to me, to others, and for something so much bigger than me.

I wanted to share with you some images from the making and the performances themselves. There will be another performance date coming up this winter in New Hampshire. I’ll be sure to put up information for that as soon as I get it!

The loosest of threads, hanging together were inspiration.

The sounds of grasses rushing against themselves were inspiration.

Interlacements, nets, screens between here and there… they were all inspiration.

The process of making for SofS&S took me through weaving, sewing, sprang, sculpture, and harvesting fibers from trees. Ingredients were, to name a few… flowers, raffia, silk, cotton, wood, a wasp’s nest, pods, sticks, plants, jute, wool…

My heart, mind, and body opened up to something new and deep. Inspiration grew out of the work…

At some point I’ll get better at writing as things are happening, rather than after the fact. Truth be told, there just wasn’t time. In posts coming up, I’ll talk about all the other things that were happening in spring, surrounding the time that my eldest child was getting ready for and completing his high school graduation. It was almost like too much life was happening to write about it at the same time.

If you are interested in art that pushes the boundaries of thought and affect well into the experience of deep feeling and immersion, keep your eyes on what Soft Rocks and its individual members are doing.

Until next time,

~ bradie

song on repeat: Keep the Streets Empty for Me, by Fever Ray