In this textile art, I explore the blurred line between resistance and surrender. The central figure can be seen as either dancing or drowning, movements distorted by pressure, panic, or a longing for freedom. Inspired by both emotional overwhelm and literal submersion, the work reflects on the often invisible forces pulling us down while we perform survival.

Extending threads escape the woven form, just like thoughts breaking through containment, or a hand reaching out. The bubble of the figure becomes a metaphor for mental confinement, while the surrounding “rain” texture captures the atmospheric weight of pressure.

This piece was completed with equal parts intensity and injury: the final stage left me with two band-aids: one from a deep prick by the tufting needle, the other from scissors. Pain, effort, and vulnerability thread through the work, just as they thread through life under pressure.

The work aligns closely with the concept of "Under Pressure", speaking to internalized anxiety, existential weight, and contradictory gestures we make to cope, float, or fail.