Textiles are the heart of Daniela’s creative practice.
She has developed a signature style that integrates appliqué and embroidery with other materials such as mirrors, beads and sequins. The result is luxurious and sensual, something that makes you want to touch it. She is inspired by the concept of the shining cloth, the idea that all cultures have had a version of cloth that glimmers or reflects which draws down the power of the spirit world.
Almost all of the pieces were hand stitched. There is power in the motion of the hand to tell a story, and offer a testimony of the artist’s experience. This work is inspired by Latin American folk art, particularly the arpillera movement in Chile. During the dictatorship when they were stifled by censorship, Chilean women produced pieces which showed the persecution that was going on and shipped them outside the country.
Daniela trained in Textile Surface Design at Sir Sandford Fleming College in Haliburton, Ontario and in tailoring at École-des-métiers-des-Faubourgs in Montréal, Québec.
