Accessorize! was updated on 1 May 2023 when I realised the image wasn’t linking. Once I opened the post I couldn’t resist adding more than just a repaired link to the image.
Israeli gun laws
In 2005 I was horrified by a photograph of two young women wearing civilian clothing, walking down a street in Jerusalem, both carrying automatic guns as casually as if they were handbags. That photograph inspired this textile art, Accessorize!
In 2023 Israel is looking at making gun ownership easier. It’s also hard to find photos like the one that inspired this artwork. Not necessarily because it’s not happening but because it’s not politically expedient. Vice and other media are reporting on the current situation.
Although this is not the photo from the newspaper in 2005, this photo has a similar feel: women in bikinis with guns at the beach. This photo is from The World website.
I hand-painted the guns on the fabric then sewed the nightie according to a pattern I purchased. The gun was more difficult: I created my own pattern and hand-sewed the gun complete with shoulder strap.
The ensemble is displayed here on a borrowed — legless — mannequin sitting on top of a cylinder formerly used as packaging for Cadbury’s cellophane. I purchased the cylinder, cut it down to size and painted it with Johnson And Friends characters for my son when he was little. Here, for the sake of Art, I’ve covered the cylinder in white paper.
Art & craft by me
These days I enjoy creating cards and things to give away. They’re quicker and easier than “real” Art and less likely to have someone trash weeks of work “just because” or, worse, because my eyesight is crap so I can’t see well enough for excellent execution.
However, from time to time I expand my horizons. Like when some American men were angry that I’d started a website without their personal permission. So I responded with the illustrated story, A Troll Too Far. Apparently I found a photo of the right person and my little sketch was sufficiently similar for hilarity to ensue in certain circles.
— Nalini Haynes
