Fiona Carswell

In nature, dormancy is a self-preservation method closely associated with environmental conditions. Organisms enter dormancy either as a result of predicting adverse conditions or as a reaction to existing adverse conditions.

Dormancy Project is an ongoing series of pencil drawings showing individuals alone and suspended, womb-like, in an ambiguous space. The similar restful postures of the portraits suggest a shared primitive instinct. The works imagine the capability of individuals to enter into a suspended state of dormancy for survival — where they are not active or growing, but still have the capacity to become active later.

Through the intimate and precise drawings of small fragile figures in repose, the project cultivates a quiet empathy and presents the restorative potential of stillness as a mode of enduring life’s existential complexities.