Finding home, memory and making with Deborah White
Deborah White is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores belonging, identity, and renewal. Drawing from her childhood in Malawi and her years...
Organic materials carry emotional weight.
Dana’s choice to work with animal gut, fish skin, human hair and bone isn’t about shock value – it’s about respecting life cycles and listening to the stories these materials quietly hold.
Time away from making can be generative.
Dana’s year of reflection and writing helped her grow into the confidence of her practice, not by producing outcomes, but by uncovering deeper alignment between self and work.
Your art can outpace you.
Dana speaks candidly about the moment she realised her work had developed more boldly than she had. Her response? To meet it with maturity, patience, and self-inquiry.
Making is a process of rhythm and presence.
Whether stitching fish skin or weaving copper and bone, Dana’s studio process demands focus, silence, and an intimate connection with material and form.
The discomfort is part of the invitation.
Viewers may initially be drawn to Dana’s work and then recoil upon learning what it’s made of. For Dana, that tension is the gateway to something deeper – a quiet challenge to reflect, not react. there.”
What inspired you this episode? Share your biggest insight or favourite moment by tagging @TakeTwoArtCourses on social media or using #FibreArtsPodcast
During the live interview, we shared some images of Dana’s artwork. Since you’re listening to the podcast version, we’ve made these images available for you below.
1 min read
By
Tara Axford
Nov 18 2025
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