John Fifield Perez

Joining us From: Davis, CA

On Loom: 1

Tell us about yourself and what led to the Residency?

I am a recent California transplant from the Midwest and completed my MFA at Kent State in 2023, so I was in close proximity to Praxis and the Northeast Ohio fibers community for a few years. I have missed the immediacy of the digital loom. I try to keep the process as analog as I can because I don’t often thrive in digital environments. I am a musician in my heart, and my past experiences as an instrumentalist and a prior career as a special collections librarian both inform my studio practice.

Have you had any previous experience with Digital Weaving or Jacquard?

I learned to weave on a TC1 during graduate school at Kent State, but it’s been over two years since I last had access to a digital weaving studio. I’m delighted to return to Northeast Ohio to dedicate some time to the TC2 at Praxis and to spend time with the team here, including some familiar faces. I participated in the Praxis in Practice Digital Weaving Conference in 2023, which was an incredible opportunity to get to know artists in the digital weaving community, to see their work, and to hear them share their practices.

Any goals for the residency you'd like to share?

I have been focused on the performance arm of my practice over the past year and am looking forward to exercising the digital weaving muscles again while continuing to prioritize improvisation and responsiveness at the loom. I am bringing a lot of wool and paper to move simultaneously across drawing, dyeing, file building, and weaving.

I’m curious what changes I will notice after not having access to a digital weaving studio for a few years.

Connect with John:

@john.fifieldperez

https://www.johnfifieldperez.com/