Twizzle Lift

Twizzle Lift
Megan Burchett and Maddie Zerkel
On view February 23 – June 3, 2018
Outlook Gallery


Twizzle Lift is a collaborative installation between textile artist Maddie Zerkel and print and papermaker Megan Burchett. Their works in this installation employ the binding quality of handmade paper and the interlocking of weaving methods to create sculptural, dimensional pieces that feel both archaeological and domestic.

In one work, handmade paper is cast onto an armature made of wood and copper wire. The piece was draped and dried in an undulating, wave-like shape–which gives the piece a figurative quality. Its surface is covered with brightly-colored dye that is wild and exhuberant. Floating above is a second work of handmade paper–yarn that was stretched on a frame loom and dipped in pulp. Unlike the first piece, this work is light and feels immaterial. The paper is a dry white and is reminiscent of fragile remnants such as delicate shell or bone.

As collaborators, Maddie and Megan manipulate common, found, and used materials in hopes of discovering new patterns or behaviors within them. Twizzle Lift showcases the dualities that can be born from a single material. Here, paper embodies both the strength of the human form and the insubstantiality of its spirit.

For more information on Megan and Maddie as well as MCBA’s Artist-in-Residence program, visit this page.