Thread Man, Lesley Dill

“I felt a cleaving in my mind, as if my brain had split. I tried to match it seam by seam, but could not make them fit. The thought behind; I strove to join unto the thought before. But sequence raveled out of sound, like balls upon a floor.” These words are written in the sculpture entitled “Thread Man” crafted by Lesley Dill. What do these words mean? What do they have to do with the creature coming out of the poem? The wording in the sculpture is made from wire bent and twisted into barely legible letters and words. My own handwriting is about as messy as this and I like the thread guy coming out of the poem, which is why I like this piece. The thread being has the word “Souls” written inside of its head but what does this mean? Does it imply that it is a soul, or that it wants a soul? And the writing, is it just describing some kind of physical pain or is it more than that? The words in this sculpture are actually quoted from a poem by Emily Dickinson. Dill loved Dickinson’s poetry and has used it in many of her artworks including sculptures, drawing, photography, and even opera. Her art often depicts language, the human form, the senses, and the way that they come together. She had been an English major before she was an artist; this may be why she uses poetry on so many of her artworks. Dill lives in Brooklyn, NY and has gone to the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore, Smith College in Northampton, MA, and Trinity College in Hartford, CT. Dill’s art is a unique way of expressing herself in a way that is both thought provoking and visually appealing. “Thread Man” in particular is a work of art that is definitely worth examining because of its mysteriousness. I personally think that it is a metaphor for all the pain that one experiences through life and how every soul eventually withers away, but as with all artworks, its meaning could be interpreted many ways.

I felt a Cleaving in my Mind— As if my Brain had split— I tried to match it—Seam by Seam— But could not make it fit. The thought behind, I strove to join Unto the thought before— But Sequence ravelled out of Sound Like Balls—upon a Floor. -- Emily Dickinson, Poem 937 Do you ever notice how society taught you to judge on looks? Lesley Dill’s “Thread Man” exhibits how are critiques of others come from the appearance on the outside. Lesley Dill is a successful graduate student from many respected colleges such as Trinity College, Skidmore College, Smith College, and Maryland Institute College of Art. She has many profound and diverse exhibitions. Thread Man correlates much with the saying “Don’t judge a book by a cover.” From afar the colors of the artwork aren’t necessarily pleasing to the eyes. Although come close and the artwork lightens to a composition of brighter colors. Now come even closer and the sight of a rainbow now appears from something that was once dark and shady, just as how a dirty coat might have a warm heart underneath. Lesley Dill also includes Poem 937 to give her masterpiece another point of view. The poem sounds to have a tone of desperation. The writer appears to be in time of stress where she cannot fix her problems “seam by seam”. By this I believe she cannot complete a thought to resolve a conflict nor can she connect the following thought. The poem hints to the loss of sanity while trying to grasp a clear mind. I believe there are any interpretations of the artwork and can be observed differently based on the viewer. Although I chose “Thread Man” because my understanding came to me at the sight of it. We learn to like and love by how we see things, although if we see with our heart, we realize the truth of others and leave out the vision of society we blindly see.