"The Spite Hat"
By Lara Lewis
Tea-tanned salmon leather, rabbit fur, cotton thread
As an occasional textile artist, I wanted to explore new materials, and given the name Lucid, I turned to my dreams for inspiration. I had a terrible nightmare where all my friends with children circled around me and called me a horrible baby hating bitch for not wanting children and I said, "No, I do like kids, and I don't not want them, I'm just indifferent," and they were like, "No! You're a horrible, baby-hating bitch!" Instead of talking to my therapist, Jane, about this, I decided to spite the versions of my friends in my dreams by making The Spite Hat. Would a baby hater make a little hat made specifically for the head of a baby? I don't think so.
The hat (or crown, as it became) is made of fish leather trimmed with rabbit fur, both of which I processed from scratch myself, and was a great experience getting to know the animals in my life on a deeper level.
Special thanks to Audrey Eastwood and Nick Cox for letting me borrow their babies.
Bad photos: me
Fancy studio photos: Tyler Simmonds
Models: Norah Cox & Jane Cox
3D Model Description
A 3-dimensional rendering of Lara Lewis's Spite Hat. A Salmon leather crown with rabbit fur trim on a white background. The crown has many points of distinct shapes and sizes. The leather is light brown with a grid-like scaled texture. The rabbit fur is light grey and fluffy.
Bio
Lara Lewis (she/her) is a queer and trans mixed Mi'kmaw theatre artist based in Kjipuktuk. As an actor, she performs between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. As a dramaturge, she's worked with writers in all four atlantic provinces, Quebec, Ontario, and New York.
Lara is also a textile artist, focusing on embroidery and cross stitch.
Lara is a graduate of the Fountain School of Performing Arts and University of King's College and a member of Glooscap First Nation. She is the recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Volunteer award at the Theatre Nova Scotia Merritt Awards.