Scraps of Life: Chilean Arpilleras
This book is an a excellent example of how modern life inspires collage and has become a necessary form of expression.
Collage, traditionally considered a folk art, became recognized as a significant art form in the twentieth century (a blog post to be written later). It still remains a traditional art form in many places, now blending itself with modern life experiences.
This is a borrowed Editorial Review from Amazon.com.
During the years 1980-1985, Marjorie Agosin returned often to her native Chile to visit the Arpillera workshops of the Association of Families of the Detained-Disappeared. Although she acknowledges, "the more I learned about what the military could do, with absolute impunity, the more terrified I became," she decides "not to be afraid of fear" and reaffirms her commitment to tell the stories of the women who make Arpilleras, embroidered and appliqued pictures which tell the true story of what is going on in Chile. These Arpilleristas are searching for any trace of relatives who have been picked up by the authorities and never seen or heard about again. Although most live with small children in crowded hovels with no food, electricity, or running water, these women have banded together to fight back in every way they can. With the help of the Catholic Church's Vicarate of Solidarity - which, despite the fact that these Arpilleras are illegal to sell in Chile, provides the materials, and buys and markets the work to the outside world - the Arpilleristas create art from "scraps of life:" hair clippings, clothing scraps, and pictures and messages about their detained-disappeared loved ones. Scraps of Life brings together a brief history of the rise of Pinochet dictatorship and moving descriptions of Marjorie Agosins' experiences with these revolutionary artists to give us life-saving stories
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