In the curation of the "Wit(h)ness exhibition, Dylan McGarry began to work on his own Wit(h)nessing work. Indeed the exhibition was inspired by his ongoing solidarity work with Palestine, and trying to stay with the painful reality of the situation, but he immediately could feel that the arguments on political and religious grounds, were keeping us from fully being present to the felt reality of the crises. His grief for the people of Congo, Palestine & Sudan was conflating and coagulating with his ongoing ecological and climate grief, as recent floods devastated fellow citizens in the Cape, particularly in the Cape flats. These outer world perils and inner personal ones, created a deep emotional response to the loss and degradation, mixed with personal and existential emotional pain left me feeling utterly helpless. 

Joanna Macy's "Work That Reconnects" provides a framework for individuals to explore their connections to the natural world and cultivate empathy and responsibility. By creating spaces for gatherings, dialogues, and rituals, Dylan thought he could begin with himself, finding a way to have a tactile conversation with materials, with images that were arising, as way to hold other conversations with friends and family.

These watercolour paintings, which he had screen printed on hemp linen, became a sanctuary where he could wit(h)ness the ecological crisis and other poly crises, with himself and with others. Inevitably he would be stitching these at family gatherings or with friends, and the work would guide their conversations and musings.

This concept of sanctuary aligns with Bayo Akomolafe's idea that collective action and support are essential during times of ecological crisis. Donna Haraway's concept of "staying with the trouble" helped Dylan in this work; with each stitch and mindful practice of ‘mending’ these images in his mind, he is able to stay or dwell on difficult realities with more generosity and creativity than usual. 

The practice of runner stitch, or boro as it is referred to in Japan, allowed him to practice mending as a daily embodied and tactile reality, and in some way that helps him stay present and not shy away from the challenges posed by the ecological and humanitarian crises we face today.