Loti thread | A black and white family album in color

I explored the most fragile family connection I have — the one with a woman I never
met, my grandmother, after whom I was named. Growing up, I listened to countless stories of her
kindness and admired her beauty and sophistication while gazing at her old black-and-white
photographs. I carried the responsibility of preserving her name, her jewellery, and the weight of
guilt whenever something was lost. Our shared name, Loti — a fragment of German legacy —
became a protective charm, a hidden identity where I could safeguard my authentic self.
To honor her, I chose to embroider on her photographs, referencing her own practice as a talented
embroiderer who left behind numerous gobelins. This technique created a delicate material and
symbolic thread, reviving a connection between us. By selectively stitching elements — a sweater
with our shared name, leaves and flowers she once smelled, snow, and a glove, one of the few
objects I inherited — I infused the images with life, intimacy, and closeness to the kind female
figure I longed for. This emotionally healing process becomes a story of two Loti, offering each
other the gifts of past, present, presence, warmth, and kindness.