Orion Carloto’s new zine “Beds I’ve Slept In” Pays Homage to Virginia Woolf
Image Courtesy: Instagram
There is a secret intimacy that happens in a room of one's own. We fill our bedrooms with a collection of objects dearest and lay bare in a duvet of vulnerability. “The sacred spaces we make our own, even if it’s temporary.” Orion Carloto described on Instagram her new limited-run zine “Beds I’ve Slept In,” a homage to Virginia Woolf. I've been an avid follower of Orion Carloto's creative journey, eagerly anticipating each new release. As someone who has cherished every book she has brought into the world in recent years, I found myself once again drawn to her latest offering. With each work, Orion has demonstrated a unique ability to capture the essence of growing up and out of girlhood, weaving introspection and vulnerability into her prose with remarkable clarity. With her newest piece, an ode to Virginia Woolf's timeless exploration of female autonomy, “A Room of One's Own," Orion captivates us and resonates deeply with any young woman in her 20s. As I delve into her latest work, I am struck by the way she intertwines her own experiences with Woolf's seminal ideas, offering a fresh perspective on the enduring challenge of creative freedom and self-discovery.
Image Courtesy: Instagram
Instead of hoarding everything near and dear to herself, Orion shared this work with us after a year of collecting these intimate images. Film for Her, which was released in late 2020, allows us to see Orion’s vulnerability through the prettiest lens. But with this new zine, I feel as if it is almost a step further. She navigates the complexities of personal space and the intimate relationship between a woman’s environment and inner world. Orion carefully explores the profound sense of attachment found within the confines of a private space. One’s room is a form of self-expression and where we do not have to hide ourselves. Carloto brilliantly encapsulates this idea in the zine, giving us a modern lens on Virginia Woolf’s essay.
Image Courtesy: Bed’s I’ve Slept In
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf was a feminist essay published in 1929, where she explored various socio-economic and cultural limitations that have historically hindered women's ability to pursue intellectual and creative endeavors. Woolf argues that for women to achieve intellectual and creative fulfillment they require financial independence and a space of one's own. Because what would life be like if we were confined to the whim of a man’s expectation? Woolf tactfully argues that a woman's agency and cultural autonomy are confined by the patriarchal struggles women face in society. Woolf states, "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” This profoundly explores the idea that women need personal agency so they can nurture that creativity and have space for self-expression. Woolf metaphorically means more than just physical space—women desired a broader notion of freedom of thought. She elaborates on the empathy that women deserve, a mental and emotional sanctuary.
Image Courtesy: Bed’s I’ve Slept In
In Beds I’ve Slept In, Orion pays a beautiful homage to Woolf’s essay about the patriarchal encampment of women’s minds, bodies, and spirits. Carloto describes this zine, “It's about capturing these mundane moments in my life that are special in some way. The bed doesn't seem like much, but I feel like that's where you're the most intimate.” Your room may be covered in beautiful wallpaper that your mother's mother had when she was young, filled floor to ceiling with laughter and tears and midnight epiphanies with the friends we hold dearest. Our old wooden dressers are filled with lace garments and beautiful nightgowns made of vintage silk. A cherished postcard from Portugal, long lost photo booth pictures of last summer's lover, and your camera collection. But most of all, a space that allows freedom of expression, a self-encapsulated space that gives a sense of relief. A sound environment to lay one's vulnerability bare, let the walls down, and become the closest version of ourselves that not everyone can see.
Image Courtesy: Bed’s I’ve Slept In
Image Courtesy: Bed’s I’ve Slept In
Through her picturesque lens, we can see the modernist take on A Room of One’s Own, with powerful imagery that feels almost as if we should not be getting this side of her. It’s raw and beautiful, and most of all honest. Orion reminds each passing reader to appreciate the beauty in the mundane and to fill our rooms fully. As she closes this book, “Tied together with a personal poem and sealed with a kiss,” Orion gives us an evocative and thoughtful piece of the spaces women inhabit leaving us longing for more as always.
Strike Out,
Writer: Alexis Priest
Editor: Blake N. Fiadino
Tallahassee