Violet Gave Willingly

Every color evokes its own emotion for Canadian textile artist Deborah Dumka. Working at her seaside studio, she dyes sheep’s wool in large pans, then draws the fibers through a carder before embarking on the concentrated task of wet felting. Filmmaker Claire Sanford captures these skillfully executed procedures while she—daughter of the artist—asks questions that Dumka sometimes finds difficult to answer. Close-ups reveal the emotions the artist is so keen to suppress.

These fragile moments are intercut with detailed shots of Dumka at work, and scenes of colors in nature. Slowly but surely, this intimate portrayal peels back the layers until it emerges how everyday sexism, gender discrimination and sexual violence has impacted on both women. By filming her mother where she feels safest, and at times giving her space to escape the difficult questions, the deeply buried answers arrive at last.