In My Feathered Pajamas
A Participatory Art Project on Migration, Sanctuary, and Resilience
In My Feathered Pajamas is the next evolution of the In My Fluffy Pajamas project, expanding its themes of migration, memory, and resilience into a new, immersive public art experience. Building on the participatory storytelling and textile-based practices that defined the original project, this iteration shifts from personal reflection to collective action—inviting participants to engage in a dynamic process of gathering, creating, and transforming.
While In My Fluffy Pajamas explored the intimate, often-unspoken stories of displacement through workshops and exhibitions, In My Feathered Pajamas brings these narratives into public space, turning shared experiences of migration into a living, evolving artwork that highlights the power of community, sanctuary, and artistic expression.
What is In My Feathered Pajamas?
In My Feathered Pajamas is an interactive, multi-site public art project that explores the themes of migration, sanctuary, and resilience through storytelling, fiber art, and collective participation. Led by interdisciplinary artist Badri Valian, this project invites community members to engage in a hands-on creative process that symbolizes the complexities of displacement and the power of collective care.
Rooted in personal narratives and historical reflections, In My Feathered Pajamas centers the voices of women whose stories of migration, adaptation, and survival often go unheard. It is a living, evolving work—part performance, part installation, part social practice—that transforms public spaces into sites of reflection, connection, and creative action.
How It Works
At the heart of In My Feathered Pajamas is an interactive process in which participants co-create an artwork that embodies both the fragility and strength of migration experiences.
Throughout each event, Badri and collaborator Kathryn Vercillo will crochet delicate feathers in real time, symbolizing the vulnerability and uncertainty that come with leaving one’s home behind.
These handmade feathers will be scattered along pathways, representing the disruptions of displacement and the often-invisible trails left by migration.
Participants will be invited to gather these feathers and bring them to a central space, a communal nest, which serves as a metaphor for sanctuary and solidarity.
As the nest grows, it will undergo a transformation—eventually becoming a wearable feathered robe, a visual representation of protection, resilience, and the ways in which community and care can rebuild what has been lost.
Historical and contemporary stories of migration, printed on feather-shaped handouts, will be shared, offering context and inviting reflection on the ways in which displacement shapes both individual and collective identities.
Stories Woven Into Feathers
Throughout In My Feathered Pajamas, history and personal narratives intersect in a tangible way. As participants engage in the act of gathering and weaving together feathers, they will also receive feather-shaped handouts containing historical and contemporary stories of migration. These handouts serve as both an educational resource and an invitation for deeper reflection, bridging the past with the present and highlighting the many ways displacement has shaped communities across time and place.
Each feather carries a story—stories of forced exile, voluntary migration, generational resilience, and the continuous search for belonging. Some of these narratives will honor the histories of Asian American and Pacific Islander women whose labor, activism, and cultural contributions have helped shape new homes in the wake of migration. Others will highlight global movements of people across borders, connecting personal journeys with broader patterns of displacement caused by war, colonialism, political unrest, and environmental change.
By engaging with these stories, participants are invited to reflect on the ways in which migration is not just an event, but an ongoing process—one that reshapes individual identities and collective histories alike. Whether a story speaks of leaving behind a beloved object, finding new ways to maintain tradition in an unfamiliar land, or the complex emotions of straddling multiple cultural identities, each feather represents a piece of the larger, interconnected experience of movement and transformation.
These printed stories will also prompt questions:
What does it mean to find sanctuary?
How do we carry the places we’ve left behind?
What responsibilities do we have to those who are still searching for refuge?
Just as the feathers in the project are gathered, held, and woven into a larger whole, these stories remind us that migration is not a solitary experience. It is one that is shaped by the past, lived in the present, and carried forward into the future by those who remember, tell, and honor these histories. Through this communal storytelling process, In My Feathered Pajamas offers a space where participants can see themselves within the broader tapestry of migration, recognizing both the weight of history and the transformative power of solidarity.
Why Feathers?
Feathers, with their simultaneous delicacy and strength, are a powerful symbol of migration. Birds move across borders with a freedom that humans are often denied, yet they, too, face environmental disruptions, loss of habitat, and the need to adapt. In this project, feathers represent the lightness of memory, the weight of history, and the resilience required to create new beginnings.
As participants gather the scattered feathers and contribute to the growing nest, they engage in an act of collective restoration—physically weaving together a space of refuge and care. The final transformation of the nest into a wearable feathered robe speaks to the idea that sanctuary is not just a place, but a practice of care that we carry with us and extend to others.
Who Is This For?
In My Feathered Pajamas is open to anyone who has ever experienced displacement, transition, or the search for belonging. Whether as an immigrant, refugee, or someone navigating the complexities of identity and home, participants are encouraged to engage at their own comfort level—whether through hands-on creation, storytelling, or quiet reflection.
This project specifically amplifies the voices of women, who have historically played central yet often unrecognized roles in holding, building, and sustaining spaces of refuge within families and communities.
The Purpose
This project is an invitation to:
Reflect on personal and collective stories of migration—what is lost, what is carried, and what is rebuilt.
Engage in an artistic process that transforms displacement into connection, turning fragments into something whole.
Create a communal artwork that embodies the resilience of those who move and those who remain.
Through fiber art, shared storytelling, and participatory performance, In My Feathered Pajamas seeks to bridge personal narratives with collective history, challenging the often-invisible forces that shape migration while celebrating the acts of care and solidarity that make survival possible.
About the Artists
Badri Valian – Lead Artist
Badri Valian is an interdisciplinary artist, social practitioner, and guided art workshop leader whose work explores themes of migration, resilience, and collective care. Born and raised in Iran, Badri’s creative practice is deeply influenced by her experiences of displacement, cultural censorship, and adaptation. After immigrating to the U.S., she turned to fiber art, participatory storytelling, and interactive installations as ways to amplify underrepresented voices—particularly those of women and immigrants.
Her work prioritizes community engagement and social practice, creating spaces where people can reflect on their personal histories while building connections through shared artistic expression. She has exhibited across California and internationally, with projects that blend historical research, tactile craft, and public participation. From large-scale installations to intimate storytelling workshops, Badri’s art serves as both a mirror and a bridge—reflecting lived experiences while fostering spaces of collective healing.
In My Feathered Pajamas continues her commitment to using art as a means of empowerment and solidarity, inviting participants to become active creators in the process of reimagining sanctuary, identity, and belonging.
Learn more about Badri’s work here.
Kathryn Vercillo – Collaborating Artist
Kathryn Vercillo is a writer, researcher, and fiber artist whose work explores the intersections of art, mental health, and personal narrative. With a background in trauma-informed creative practices, she is particularly interested in how handcrafts and storytelling can facilitate healing for individuals and communities. Kathryn has authored multiple works on the therapeutic benefits of crochet and has led projects that bring together contributors from across the world to create communal fiber art installations.
As a collaborator on In My Feathered Pajamas, Kathryn contributes her expertise in trauma-conscious engagement, participatory art facilitation, and historical research, helping to shape the interactive and storytelling aspects of the project. She also contributes tangible crochet skills. Her work complements Badri’s by ensuring that the artistic process remains accessible, inclusive, and deeply rooted in the lived experiences of those it seeks to honor.
Learn more about Kathryn’s work here.
Together, Badri and Kathryn weave a practice that merges artistic expression with social inquiry, inviting participants to share their stories, reflect on migration’s impact, and take part in a creative process that transforms displacement into connection.