Thursday 27 November 2008

'Cloth and Culture Now'

‘Cloth and Culture Now’. The Sainsbury’s Centre. East Anglia University, Norwich.

This exhibition was an impressive and thought provoking display where diverse techniques are used in innovative ways, using metal, even lead, laser cutting, print, weave and individual techniques, with craftsmen from Estonia, Finland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania and U.K. I spent two days exploring the exhibits, fascinated at the diversity of the pieces and the way they were produced.

The work of Masaaki Tate, Japan mesmerised me. A rozome piece of about 8 canvases, a dark aubergine black with batik haloed circles, so subtle and perfect, fastidiously mounted because each canvas showed white drawn threads, both vertical and horizontal, one of the main features of the piece, and each line of threads was perfectly straight in both directions. The piece worked powerfully in it's simplicity because of the perfection in the skill of the making.

“A finely tuned aesthetic judgement to traditional craft processes, contrasting the density of the dyed surface with the structure of the cloth, revealed through the drawn threat”.
Masaaki Tate.



He also says:-

“I am concerned with describing the essence of the material and the idea in the simplest way. Using intuition is the artist and using skill is the craftsman. It is important that both coexist in my work”.


Aune Taamal, Estonia.

Of her narrative, she says,

“We humans have damaged the earth and I wonder how can we help the planet/”

“For me also, light is so important: the light within our bodies and the light of the universe. We consist of light and if we can bring more light into ourselves, then our cells become radiant. This is also tied into the sacred geometry………..We are all connected to each other and to nature. In our hearts there is a very sacred place…………. Sometimes I feel this connection which is a wonderful feeling. I feel that I am everywhere, then I don’t feel my body.”




Each day, I noticed a sign which directed us to Lord Sainsbury’s permanent collection. It looked rather stuffy and I almost didn’t bother to go. But – I did! What a treat. So many pieces I loved, ‘Little Dancer’ by Degas, many Giacometti pieces, both paintings and sculptures. Giacometti has always been one of my favourite artists, with the torment and passion portrayed in his sketches and his elongated sculptures. There were Henry Moores, a Chiam Soutine, Aztec and Inca and so many other pieces I loved.

The pieces which absolutely blew me away with their power and beauty were two bowls by Rupert Spira.


The beauty and soul in his work is overwhelming and this essence is something I would like to express in my work

Rupert Spira says,

"Objects that come from consciousness unmediated by any self-imposed limitations, could be said to be 'sacred art'. They have the power to reveal the universality of consciousness and it is in this capacity that their extraordinary potency lies".



The fact that he has inscribed poems and his other writings; spiritual words, around his bowls by hand, injects more purity into his work.

"The word 'consciousness' is the cognitive presence in every experience. The mystic's job is to explore the nature of reality, but more is required of the artist. He or she has to simultaniously make manifect the results of this enquiry in form".









"Sacred art is work that comes from a deep desire to explore the true nature of our experience, or from an intuition of it. So if we are trying to find out who we really are and what the work really is, it makes no sense to predefine or limit either. The ego is a self-imposed limitation on our true nature...................Sacred art takes us beyond these limitations because it is inspired by that which is beyond them. If a work of art is inspired by these limitations it will only lead the viewer back to them. We could say that a work of art is like a pathway. It bears the signature of its origin. The senses are the medium through which we travel this path".

Rupert Spira from an interview with Daphne Astor, 'Modern Painters', Summer 2001.

Friday 14 November 2008

Hidden Imagery

I am fascinated with the oriental concept of design, where a creation is not just visual but an interactive experience, something which happens from the 'centre' or soul. I began working in deep meditation, working directly onto the cloth. Sometimes the images were amazing, having an existance of their own.
A North American Indian


Or an eagle in flight.


Now a beautiful hand-finished silk tie.


A butterfly?


In the 'Zazen' designs, (art created in meditation by the Buddhist monks as a way to enlightenment) I see beauty and simplicity, hidden images of angels, birds, insects, also hidden colour and yet they have no identity in creation. Different realities appear if the image is turned. The images, to me, contain no 'hidden imagery' if created consciously, they have to be created in a state of 'oneness'.

A North American Indian?


A pair of Yin and Yang doves?
All images in this journal are copyright. No design or image may be copied without my permission. Any infringement of these rights will be pursued vigorously.

Ka-do









The philosophy of Ka-do (Ikebana - the art of Japanese Flower Arranging) led me into the world of 'Zen' and 'The Way', 'The Do' (doh), the journey to enlightenment.

Is this creation perfect balance and counterbalance?























Hiroshi Teshigahara



Is this the perfect balance I seek?











Ikebana arrangement


















Chilhuly.
Blown glass Ikebana




How can I introduce this into my work?

I studied 'Zenga', painting created in meditation, and began a personal journey working directly on to the silk using a variety of tools and brushes. My journey is far from finished and I am still trying to understand what it is I seek.

Zen through Ka-do (Ikebana).

Moved by the deep meaning of 'Zen' and 'the way', 'the do' (doh), the journey to enlightenment, I studied the philosophy of Ka-do (Ikebana, the art of Japanese Flower Arranging). How I could introduce this into my work? I studied 'Zenga', painting created in meditation and began a personal journey working directly onto the silk and on paper in Zazen, 'Zen' meditation.

The Geometry

Moving from a love of Geometry at school, I became fascinated with angles and space. What is perfect balance?

Luca Paciolli (1445-1571) says in 'Divina Proportione' that the Golden Section or Divine Proportion is

A____ ____M____B

The line AB is divided at point M so that the ratio of the two parts, the smaller MB to the larger AM is the same as the ratio of the larger part AM to the whole AB. (phi).

This is something we do naturally, rather like tying the ribbon on a parcel.

The subject of the Golden Section and Fibonacci numbers (divisions 1,2,3,5,8,13) is vast and I do not want to go into that now. Suffice to say that this breakdown of space happens naturally in nature, in the spiral of a shell, leaves on a branch, petals in a flower and also in the great artists' paintings such as Leonardo de Vinci and in music.

Working with geometry and with a fascination for lines and space, I created a series of one off pieces, using the screen as an art tool with masking and painting. My challenge was to leave large areas of pure white, or to print huge areas of flat colour, something a commercial printer would not do because of the high risk of uneven 'backs'. A commercial printer would only print an area not larger than 5" x 5".




'Optical' Collection of silk scarves.

Bridget Riley and her stripes have been a huge influence in my work




















1. 'Rooftops' One design of nine from drawings in the snow.

This print was working with the Golden Section

















2. 'Princess Nouchi'. silk scarf, hand printed and painted.


















3. 'Crackle' silk scarf.

For the Royal Society of Arts National Bursary Award, I submitted four boards of drawings and design ideas. This was the final piece. I was selected as joint overall winner.







All images in this journal are copyright. No design or image may be copied without my permission. Any infringement of these rights will be pursued vigorously.

365 Tao: Daily Meditation by Deng Ming-Dao.

"If you spend a long period of time in study and self-cultivation, you will enter Tao. By doing so, you also enter a world of extraordinary perceptions. You experience unimaginable things, receive thoughts and learning as if from nowhere, perceive things that could be classified as prescient. Yet, if you try to communicate what you experience, there is no one to understand you, no one who will believe you. The more you walk this road, the farther you are from the ordinary ways of society. You may see the truth, but you will find that people would rather listen to the politicians, performers and charlatans."

From 'Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life', by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer. Preface p.XV