Sasha Baskin's portfolio

Work samples

After Angelica (Sappho Inspired by Love) [Installation with Bobbins],

After Angelica (Sappho Inspired by Love) [Installation with Bobbins],

2023,

21x19,

Bobbin lace, cotton thread, two-toned tulle

This portrait of "Sappho Inspired by Love" by Angelica Kauffman demonstrates the process of bobbin lace and includes the wooden bobbins and gold pins as part of the active installation. Through the use of the two-toned tulle technique, the renaissance portrait is pixelated and broken down into dark and light pixels, or dark and light crossed threads. The image explores the relationship between the mythological rendering, the modern mythology of the digital image and the relationship both have to the screen and concept of simulacrum.

This piece was commissioned by the Baltimore Museum of Art as part of the 2023-2024 "Making her Mark" exhibition
The Veil (Come Undone) (detail 1)

The Veil (Come undone) (detail 1)

2024

24x24

bobbin lace, cotton thread, wooden bobbins, metal pins, digital still from "Love is Blind" Season 3
"After Angelica (Sappho Inspired by Love) [study]"

13"x4.5", Bobbin lace, cotton thread, two-toned tulle,

This portrait, referenced from "Sappho Inspired by Love" by Angelica Kauffman, is part of a larger series of work exploring modern mythological systems through the lens of pop culture and digital imagery. Through the use of the two-toned tulle technique, the renaissance portrait is pixelated and broken down into dark and light pixels, or dark and light crossed threads. The image explores the relationship between the mythological rendering, the modern mythology of the digital image and the relationship both have to the screen and concept of simulacrum.
Cassie Under Pattern (As Helen of Troy)

Cassie Under Pattern

2022

40”x21”

Digitally woven cotton, silk, natural dye, digital still from “The Bachelor” Season 23

Portrait of Cassie Randolph in the moment that she attempts to break up with the Bachelor lead Colton Underwood. The woven screenshot is overlayed with a digitized and glitched rosette weaving pattern typical of American coverlets. The rosette patterning symbolizes the central image of the rose on "The Bachelor" as an icon of choice, validation, and control. Ultimately Cassie attempted to leave the show and was forced into a relationship with the lead which proved toxic and abusive on a personal level and changed the format and dynamic of a 20-year-old franchise. I compare this relationship to the myth of Helen of Troy whose kidnapping began the 10 year Trojan War.

About Sasha

Baltimore City

Sasha Baskin’s weaving and drawing work explores the intersection of craft and classical rendering. She uses traditional weaving and lacemaking processes in combination with source imagery from reality television to address the intersections between analog and digital technologies. Trained in classical drawing, Baskin received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2014. Transitioning to craft and studying lace, weaving, natural dyes, and ikat dye resist… more

View Sasha's Resume

Halos

A series of bobbin lace portraits incorporating the bobbins themselves, the golden metal pins, or the curls and twists of loose threads, the works in "Halos" examine the making and unmaking of the female figures from our mythologies. Presenting a combination of ancient mythological figures alongside modern celebrities presented through the lens of the ancient goddess, the work examines how we create and reinforce our heroes and mythologies.

The halos surrounding each woman's portrait created by the very fiber structures which define the portraits, highlight and contain the figures. They are both elevated by their status and frozen in time.

Through the use of bobbin lace rendering and a technique called "two-toned tule", the delicate medium references the emotion and fragility of the moment of celebrity and fame. Each figure is caught like a butterfly in a net and a prisoner of forces she cannot see or control while also being a huge catalyst for change within the medium of mythology and cultural storytelling.

After Angelica (Sappho Inspired by Love) [Installation with Bobbins],

After Angelica (Sappho Inspired by Love) [Installation with Bobbins],

2023,

21x19,

Bobbin lace, cotton thread, two-toned tulle

This portrait of "Sappho Inspired by Love" by Angelica Kauffman demonstrates the process of bobbin lace and includes the wooden bobbins and gold pins as part of the active installation. Through the use of the two-toned tulle technique, the renaissance portrait is pixelated and broken down into dark and light pixels, or dark and light crossed threads. The image explores the relationship between the mythological rendering, the modern mythology of the digital image and the relationship both have to the screen and concept of simulacrum.

This piece was commissioned by the Baltimore Museum of Art as part of the 2023-2024 "Making her Mark" exhibition
"After Angelica (Sappho Inspired by Love) [study]"

After Angelica (Sappho Inspired by Love) [study]

2023

13"x4.5"

Bobbin lace, cotton thread, two-toned tulle

Study for "After Angelica" including the loose threads, an organic artifact from the creation of bobbin lace, at the top and the bottom of the portrait. The chaotic threads above and below the piece speak to the mythological influence of the work and the creation of order from chaos.
The Veil (Come Undone)

The Veil (Come undone)

2024

24x24

bobbin lace, cotton thread, wooden bobbins, metal pins, digital still from "Love is Blind" Season 3

In this moment, a reality television figure falls apart, both figuratively on screen, and literally as the bobbin lace stitches come undone. Sitting in bed, Zanab from "Love is Blind" season 3 is told just days before her reality television wedding: "You're a nine out of ten." Her recent fiancé compares her to another woman he has feelings for (a definite "ten out of ten" in his words). She looks down, her hair falling in front of her face like a veil and the distance between them becomes visible.

She became a mythological Penelope figure: faithful and steadfast despite her partner's dalliances. Second always to her beautiful cousin Helen of Troy. In this portrait the bobbin lace literally unravels into their very bobbins, just as mythological Penelope unraveled her veil each night waiting for Odysseus.
The Veil (Come Undone) (detail 1)

The Veil (Come undone) (detail 1)

2024

24x24

bobbin lace, cotton thread, wooden bobbins, metal pins, digital still from "Love is Blind" Season 3
The Veil (Come Undone)

The Veil (Come undone) (detail 2)

2024

24x24

bobbin lace, cotton thread, wooden bobbins, metal pins, digital still from "Love is Blind" Season 3

In this detail the structure of the two-toned tulle bobbin lace stitch is clearly revealed. Each stitch is held in place by a single brass pin
Cassie as Helen of Troy

Cassie as Helen of Troy

2022

22”x10”

Bobbin Lace, cotton thread, digital still from “The Bachelor” Season 23

A rendering of the same screenshot as “Cassie Under Pattern” in a bobbin lace structure. Both works explore the role of Cassie Randolph within the reality television universe of “The Bachelor” through different lenses. In “Cassie Under Pattern” the images overwhelm and overload and reference the layers of expectation, observation, and media scrutiny present within the moment. Cassie is both trapped by the forces of the show and also demonstrates immense power when she attempts to leave the show and "breaks the format." The comparison to Helen of Troy extends to explore power, control, and free will. Helen of Troy is both a victim of circumstance and a direct cause of a mythic event.
Cassie as Helen of Troy (detail)

Cassie as Helen of Troy 2022

22”x10”

Bobbin Lace, cotton thread, digital still from “The Bachelor” Season 23

Detail of "Cassie as Helen of Troy" to reveal bobbin lace structure (two toned tulle). A single bobbin lace stitch is used across this piece, the different pixels of a bitmapped image represented by either a light cross or a dark cross of intersecting threads
Rachel Discheveled

“Rachel Disheveled"

2024

19”x17”

Bobbin lace, cotton thread, two-toned tulle, digital still from “The Bachelor” Season 26

Portrait of Rachel Recchia sobbing on the staircase during the “Rose Ceremony from Hell” in season 26 of “The Bachelor.” In this moment, the Bachelor confesses to the final three women that he had been intimate with and said “I love you” to each contestant. Rachel comes undone and sits on the staircase in the Harpa Concert Hall in Iceland. This half rendered portrait falls apart below the eyes, creating literal tears of threads unraveling the figure paralleling the breakdown of the structure of the show and its corresponding mythological system/power structure.

Overlay/Under Pattern: Cassie as Helen of Troy

A series of work exploring the same screenshot of Cassie Randolf in the moment that she attempts to break up with the Bachelor lead Colton Underwood.

Through weaving and bobbin lace the moment is dissected and analyzed through a modern and mythological lens, examining the agency and power of women in the public eye. In both works, Cassie is compared to Helen of Troy, both empowered and victimized by a larger mythological conflict.

Cassie Under Pattern (As Helen of Troy)

Cassie Under Pattern

2022

40”x21”

Digitally woven cotton, silk, natural dye, digital still from “The Bachelor” Season 23

Portrait of Cassie Randolph in the moment that she attempts to break up with the Bachelor lead Colton Underwood. The woven screenshot is overlayed with a digitized and glitched rosette weaving pattern typical of American coverlets. The rosette patterning symbolizes the central image of the rose on "The Bachelor" as an icon of choice, validation, and control. Ultimately Cassie attempted to leave the show and was forced into a relationship with the lead which proved toxic and abusive on a personal level and changed the format and dynamic of a 20-year-old franchise. I compare this relationship to the myth of Helen of Troy whose kidnapping began the 10 year Trojan War.
Cassie Under Pattern (As Helen of Troy) [detail]

Cassie Under Pattern (As Helen of Troy) [detail]

2022

40”x21”

Digitally woven cotton, silk, natural dye, digital still from “The Bachelor” Season 23
Cassie as Helen of Troy

Cassie as Helen of Troy

2022

22”x10”

Bobbin Lace, cotton thread, digital still from “The Bachelor” Season 23

A rendering of the same screenshot as “Cassie Under Pattern” in a bobbin lace structure. Both works explore the role of Cassie Randolph within the reality television universe of “The Bachelor” through different lenses. In “Cassie Under Pattern” the images overwhelm and overload and reference the layers of expectation, observation, and media scrutiny present within the moment. Cassie is both trapped by the forces of the show and also demonstrates immense power when she attempts to leave the show and "breaks the format." The comparison to Helen of Troy extends to explore power, control, and free will. Helen of Troy is both a victim of circumstance and a direct cause of a mythic event.
Cassie as Helen of Troy (detail)

Cassie as Helen of Troy 2022

22”x10”

Bobbin Lace, cotton thread, digital still from “The Bachelor” Season 23

Detail of "Cassie as Helen of Troy" to reveal bobbin lace structure (two toned tulle). A single bobbin lace stitch is used across this piece, the different pixels of a bitmapped image represented by either a light cross or a dark cross of intersecting threads

By Any Other Name

In the Greek Myth of the judgment of Paris, three goddesses wait for a mortal to offer them an apple proclaiming the chosen goddess the most beautiful. On The Bachelor, women wait for roses delivered at overly dramatized “Rose Ceremonies” when a man makes the choice of who he wants to keep dating out of his pool of available women and sends the rest home. The rose is just a new manifestation of the apple. It is the same story over and over again. It is another symbol of acceptance and validation. The repetitive structure of each episode becomes a retelling of a Hero’s Journey: a new myth for a new era.

Using screenshots from The Bachelor as source material for my filet lace images, I explore reality television as a modern form of mythology. The rose as a new iconic symbol. By rendering this rose in lace I refer to lace’s historical and contemporary connotations: often found only in black or white lace for weddings or lingerie, the lace rose acts as a metaphor for the Madonna/whore paradox.

Each piece in this series is titled from a catchphrase popularized within the show. These phrases become mantras, almost prayer like for the contestants. The show creates a dialect and language that reference the ritualistic process.

07-BaskinSashaTheMartyr.jpg

The Martyr (Here for the Right Reasons)

2019

38"x38"

Filet lace, fishing net, cotton thread, Screenshot from "The Bachelor" (Season 22)

The woman pictured is often considered the "villain" of the season. She is surrounded by roses, the symbol of choice and validation within the structure of the reality television show. The woman in this screenshot is often considered the "villain" of this season of the reality television program "The Bachelor" however she was also the only contestant who accurately predicted the lead's inability to make a decision and commit and called him out on his problematic behavior. Knowing her reputation I chose an image of her where her portrait references a veiled madonna figure and surrounded her with roses: the symbol of choice and validation within the structure of the reality television show.
The Martyr (Here for the Right Reasons) (detail)

The Martyr (Here for the Right Reasons)

2019

38"x38"

Filet lace, fishing net, cotton thread, Screenshot from "The Bachelor" (Season 22)

Detail to reveal filet lace structure. This piece was hand woven on top of a fishing net, creating an analog form of a pixelated image.
Mary Magdolene (Here for the Rise and the Fall)

Mary Magdalene (Here for the Rise and the Fall)

2020

Filet lace, fishing net, cotton thread, Screenshot from "Bachelor in Paradise" Season 5

44"x39"

The woman highlighted in this screenshot was vilified on the show due to her involvement in two love triangles over the course of two separate seasons. In both love-triangles she is left jilted and shamed for her sexuality while her partner chooses another. Throughout the run of the seasons, I identified her as a Mary Magdolene mythic figure, always present for the rise and the fall of the male hero and ultimately left behind when he is redeemed.
Mary Magdolene (Here for the Right Reasons) (detail)

Mary Magdalene (Here for the Rise and the Fall)

2020

Filet lace, fishing net, cotton thread, Screenshot from "Bachelor in Paradise" Season 5

44"x39"

Detail to reveal filet lace stucture

Will You Accept This Rose?

A series of woven images addressing modern mythology through the lens of popular culture. Each piece was hand-woven on a TC2 jacquard loom with naturally dyed cotton and silk and is based on a digital still from season 22 of “The Bachelor.”

This image depicts a woman, Jenny, rejected by the lead during the second episode of the season. I was struck by her strength and resiliency in the face of reality television rejection and explored her character as a modern mythological figure. By repeating her image in multiple large-scale weavings I created a pantheon of her digital image as a mythic figure.

I used a modified rosette weaving pattern throughout this series- a pattern typically seen in Americana coverlet weavings. A rose is the symbol of validation on “The Bachelor” and receiving a rose allows a contestant to continue on to the next week. Through the repetition and distortion of this rose-based weaving pattern, I offer the woman getting rejected a form of agency and control over her own roses.

Jenny's Departure

Jenny's Departure

2018

115"x55"

Jacquard and hand-woven cotton, silk, and rayon, rosette overshot patterning, natural dye, screenshot from "The Bachelor" (season 22)
Jenny's Departure (detail)

"Jenny's Departure" (detail)

2018

115"x55"

Jacquard and hand-woven cotton, silk, and rayon, rosette overshot patterning, natural dye, screenshot from "The Bachelor" (season 22)

Detail to reveal modified rosette pattern structure.
Jenny Rejected

"Jenny Rejected"

2018

50"x42"

Digital and hand-woven cotton and silk

An inverted digital image (sourced from a screenshot), this piece references screen-based image distortion- like when one tilts a laptop screen so far back that the colors invert and the dark shadows reflect light.
Jenny Rejected (detail)

Jenny Rejected (detail)

2018

50"x42"

Digital and hand-woven cotton and silk
Dramatic (Study for Jenny's Departure)

Dramatic (Study for Jenny's Departure)

2018

40"x30"

Digital and hand-woven cotton and silk, rosette overshot patterning, natural dye, screenshot from "The Bachelor" (season 22)

Small Roses

A series of smaller woven works exploring the role of overshot rosette patterning on digital stills pulled from episodes of reality television. The patterning creates a veil or screen over the figures and digital images.

In each piece, the rosette overlay functions differently, the blush of the skin, a latticework concealing the figures, or intentional distorting and glitching the image creating analog "broken pixels" as broken threads.

As the ancestor of the modern computer, the loom’s relationship to pixel and screen are unavoidable: the 0s and 1s of binary code are a direct descendent of the overs and unders of woven threads.

The Rosette

The Rosette

2018

27"x21

Jacquard and hand-woven cotton, silk, and rayon, rosette overshot patterning, natural dye, screenshot from "The Bachelor" (season 22)

A moment of a crying contestant being consoled by the bachelor just off screen. The tear falling down the contestant's cheek is obscured by the modified rosette weaving pattern as a brocade woven structure. This allows the rosette pattern to transition from the flush of the cheek to a blemish to a tear. Dropped threads in the black and white image create another kind of tear (a literal slit in the cloth) that falls down her face.
The Rosette (detail)

The Rosette

2018

27"x21

Jacquard and hand-woven cotton, silk, and rayon, rosette overshot patterning, natural dye, screenshot from "The Bachelor" (season 22)

Detail to reveal brocade weave structure
The Rose Ceremony

The Rose Ceremony

2018

27"x19"

Jacquard and hand-woven cotton, silk, and rayon, rosette overshot patterning, natural dye, screenshot from "The Bachelor" (season 22)

Here the focus is specifically on the symbol of acceptance and validation within the structure of the reality television program: the rose. The rosette pattern functions as the flush of the skin; it frames the rose and becomes both the woman’s heart and her armor as it covers her chest.
The Rose Ceremony (detail)

The Rose Ceremony

2018

27"x19"

Jacquard and hand-woven cotton, silk, and rayon, rosette overshot patterning, natural dye, screenshot from "The Bachelor" (season 22)

Detail to reveal brocade weave structure across the figure's chest
The Rose

The Rose

2018

27"x21"

Jacquard and hand-woven cotton, silk, and rayon, rosette overshot patterning, natural dye, screenshot from "The Bachelor" (season 22)

This piece uses pattern as latticework, concealing the figure offering the rose while the pattern subtly curls around the hand. Mirroring the act of the crawling roses, even the pattern shrinks in the face of the choice and validation.
The Rose (detail)

The Rose

2018

27"x21"

Jacquard and hand-woven cotton, silk, and rayon, rosette overshot patterning, natural dye, screenshot from "The Bachelor" (season 22)

Detail to reveal the damask satin weave structure. Tonal variations in the image are produced through structural variations in the cloth and the way black and white threads overlap. This process produces a pixilated or pointillist effect.