As a student in UCLA's Fiber Arts program in the early Seventies, the artist unearthed a bit of wire rope in a junkyard on Alameda Street. To Hassinger, the material resembled elements found in nature, dry grass or ripples on the surface of a pond. The wire rope, strong but malleable, extended her experimentation with nautical hemp rope and created a bridge between her practice in sculpture and fiber art. 

Repurposing found man-made material such as newspaper, implies both a disruption and reflection of current societal conditions. In her performance piece, Women’s Work (2010), five women sat side by side twisting newspapers into a growing ball. Inspired by the deep history of quilting and sewing circles, Hassinger emphasizes the power of community and cooperation stating, “The New York Times contains stories about worldwide events, in tying and knotting the news it becomes a record of all of us.”  With each twist, the artist fuses performance and sculpture, offering a meditation on our inextricable connection to one another.  

For several days during the exhibition, visitors gathered in a circle, joining the artist to twist newspapers, sharing stories and laughter. “There’s something relaxing, meditative, convivial, and a sense of community happening,” says Hassinger as her fingers wrap the newspaper with choreographed muscle memory.  Enveloped in Hassinger’s industrial garden, strangers worked together, twisting and knotting the world’s stories and their own into a Sign of the Times.