Through the current material expressions of crochet - a skill I learned as a young child and  only returning to it now - tell the story of where I am located through materials and sensations.  

As I move between locations, I move between materials - as I adapt to new situations, I change techniques - as I develop new parts of myself, I discover new possibilities of beauty. My work is connected to expressing nature and the energetic power that it communicates. 

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Crochet structures are explorations of harmony through materials and the nature of construction in relation to our environment. Crochet is the only manual skill for making textiles that can not be created by machine, making the process a very human and naturally occurring process. Like in nature, where seeds, animals and humans grow, one cell at a time and one side at a time, there is a symmetry that is unattainable and a perfection that is rare. Making through this process has shown me my relationship with controlling creation and calculating process. The pieces made aim to express how nature finds its way into all aspects, even when in a concentrated effort to drive the process in a determined direction. Nature is ultimately in control of the final result and infiltrates every material and process in unexpected ways that change outcomes and ourselves in the process. 

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Manufactured environments take us further from what is natural, nature finds a way to connect with us through the spaces it creates between the sky and the cement. Submerged in constructed urban living, nature is ever present - the sun illuminates sparkling minerals in cement while trees play with light interlacing over the streets where we walk. In the shadows we also see the light, connecting the earth to the sky and harmonizing our material world with the greater elements.

As a tree growing one small sprout at a time and one limb at a time, crochet is a process of patient evolution into a complex structure, organically finding form. A manual making process that can not be copied by machine, it carries natural creation and human connection in its roots.

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The work I’m making for the NoBa Capsule group show comes at a time when I’ve been thinking deeply about time, place, and how these ideas manifest through sculpture and textiles. This is reflected in my use of familiar, domestic refuse, like shed dog hair, avocado and onion food waste, and rust dye. I then wanted to present my weaving in a form that evoked the hand and material manipulation, so I chose the appearance of folded sheets of paper. I’ve done this technique before in other textile-sculpture works in the past and resembled the shape of fans. However, most people assumed they were intended to resemble curtain folds. Normally, this would have frustrated me, but this time it didn’t. There’s a particular tension in this work. A tension between, the process I used to make it and the possibility of its public presentation that I feel marks of an important moment in my practice, and it centres on the balance between my own artistic intentions and accepting the many interpretations that can exist within the work. This is certainly not the first time I’ve grappled with this tension. For a long time, I’ve struggled with wanting to make something that people can “get” without explanation. But unlike before, I’ve been able to identify a point to tackle, trust my intuition, and learn to simply let go. It really isn’t that complicated.

Jacobo Alonso is a Mexican artist whose work explores the opacity and versatility of the concept of the "Body" and its displacements across various contexts and disciplines. His practice challenges conventional boundaries, examining how the body interacts with and adapts to different environments and cultural frameworks.

Alonso’s work has been showcased internationally in countries such as Mexico, Finland, the United States, Iceland, England, Hungary, Italy, France, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Slovakia, Ukraine, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Germany, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia, the Netherlands, and China. He has participated in prestigious artist residencies, including Banff Creative Centre in Canada, MASS MoCA the Studios, ART OMI, Vermont Studio Center and BBAX Gallery in the USA, Viarco and Córtex Frontal in Portugal, SÍM Residency in Iceland, Serlachius Residency and ARTELES in Finland.

My work in Capsule represents an exploration of materials, colour, and the stories they can hold. My artistic practice has primarily focused on working with metal, particularly in jewellery, where I explore form, structure, and the relationship between an object and the person who experiences it. This piece allows me to step outside my usual practice and explore another side of my creativity through weaving and textile.

I have always been drawn to materials that carry a sense of history or hold traces of time. For me, making art is a way of following my curiosity and discovering something new.

This piece is a long, woven textile that transitions from green at the bottom to deep reds at the top. I am interested in how the colours gradually transform, creating a sense of movement and change. Green suggests growth, nature, and beginnings, while deep reds evoke warmth, depth, and the intensity of experience. I see this transition as a reflection of life, where experiences accumulate and continually shape who we become.

Although metal and textiles are very different materials, I find a connection between them in the process of making. Moving into textile art allows me to explore larger objects, objects that are not necessarily worn on the body, using more colour, texture, and flexibility rather than the strength and permanence of metal.

The concept of Capsule resonates with me because it suggests something precious that we want to preserve or protect. I am fascinated by the idea that an object can hold something intangible, such as a memory, a feeling, or a moment in time.

In my creative timeline, this work represents both continuity and change. It builds on my interest in materials and meaning while opening a new direction in my practice. By stepping away from the familiar, I allow myself to experiment and discover unexpected possibilities. For me, this willingness to explore is an essential part of being an artist and keeping my creative practice alive.

The three works included in Capsule—handwoven on a TC2 digital Jacquard loom—belong to my most recent weaving explorations. Previously, my woven pieces directly translated photographs taken straight from nature. These new works represent a pivotal evolution in my artistic practice, marking a step onto a new pathway toward a more personal and intimate body of work.

Born from my recent artist residency in Newfoundland, where I had the opportunity to discover some of the region's stunning geo-sites (Green Point and Bartlett’s Harbour specifically), these pieces originate from contemplating natural landscapes and textures. Using watercolour markers and ink, I create sketches that are expressive pictorial abstractions. My process is free of predetermined ideas. I let myself be inspired and guided by the surrounding landscapes, photographing and collecting elements like rocks, bark, and leaves to extract textures and colour palettes that become simplified drawings. Through the TC2 digital loom, I am able to capture the fine details and delicate transparency present in the original drawing, while simultaneously adding rich materiality, tactile texture, and physical depth.

Displayed together, these three works create a powerful sense of visual continuity. Their bold, sweeping strokes seem to travel from one piece to the next, suggesting a continuous story, the passing of time, movement, and aliveness.

Ultimately, these pieces are an invitation to dream and to find your own connection to a memory in nature. Because they are not realistic depictions, but an expression of my own hand and memory, this is becoming a new language that I hope to keep exploring. By intentionally omitting descriptive titles, I leave space for imagination to emerge. The strokes, woven structures, and colours I choose tell a story that then unfolds individually and personally for each viewer, bridging my graphic approach and spontaneity with the rich, physical depth of the textile.

NoBa creates an on-site floor-to-ceiling installation introducing the Capsule concept and an immersive curatorial art experience. Using local natural found materials from the forests of the Hamilton region, the art installation and curated space will incorporate natural and biodegradable materials into a full environmental experience. With materials such as reeds, potatoes, rocks, sticks, wood and metals, NoBa will create a fluid composition through the defined exhibition area. The distinct atmosphere aligns the collective's vision of nature's influence in material arts and contemporary art spaces.