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Recent entries: 1-14 of 14

1. World Beach Mini Cards

   Posted 2 days ago

   During the York Talk I spoke about my work and collaboration with the V&A including, of course, the World Beach Project. Many of your fabulous entries were highlighted in the PowerPoint and it was also great to have available these mini cards. This new batch I’d ordered arrived about an hour before I left the studio to travel to York.

   

   These sought after little cards add to the ones we had printed before I went to Australia (below).

   
   Obviously it has to be assessed which designs will best fit into the card’s proportions, but we hope they celebrate a good spread of your creative ideas.

   
   Keep them coming! www.vam.ac.uk/worldbeach. www.moo.com.

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2. York Talk

   Posted 23 days ago

   I have been invited by the York Artworkers Association to give a talk at the Tempest Anderson Hall, York Museum. It is next Monday 3rd November at 7.30pm.

   The York Artworkers is an eclectic association of artists, conservators, architects, academics and others who share a serious interest in art and design. They present an interesting and varied programme of speakers throughout the year, non-members are always welcome.

   In 2007, I heard ceramicist Elizabeth Fritsch CBE speak here at The Museum Gardens. It’s a good venue.

   I am honoured that the Association have printed a very fine leaflet to publicise my talk. Please come!

   

   Tempest Anderson Hall, York Museum
   Monday 3rd November at 7.30pm. Cost is £5 (£3 members) available on the door.

   You can get more information from:

   email Chris Uttley binnsutley@yahoo.com

   Phone Sue Britton 01904 652 863 or Isabel Denyer 01937 835 632

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3. World Beach: One Year

   Posted 1 month ago

   Today is the first anniversary of our World Beach Project. Yeah!

   

   The 350th contribution (above) landed in the moderation queue on the day and superbly marks the occasion.

   Thank you to Hubert Lampeitl, Puerto Naos, La Palma for this sensitive and powerful image inspired by an imprint of his own hand and foot. It encompasses the very essence of the project… the unique individuality of our hand mark upon creativity.

   The contrast of the white and rich purply coloured stones against the dark black canvas of the volcanic sand graphically and extremely sensitively epitomises both the human sense of touch and our vulnerability upon this planet.

   It has been very exciting to see what has come in over the last twelve months. Thank you so much for participating. Please continue and pass on the information around the world.

   And remember: Only Stones!!

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4. Guest Post by Lynne Curran

   Posted 2 months ago

   From time to time I intend to invite a fellow artist to write a guest post.
   I am very pleased to welcome Lynne Curran as the first in this series.

   

   
   
   

   

   
   
   

   Images
   1. The Devonshire Hunting Tapestries, Falconry (detail) around 1435. Museum no. T 202-1957,
   2. Lynne Curran, The Hidden Heart (detail), 2000. Burrell Collection, Glasgow.
   3. Lynne Curran, La Dame aux Belles Plumes (detail), Museum no. T 324-1987.
   4. Lynne Curran, Sketch for La Dame aux Belles Plumes.
   5. Lynne Curran, La Dame aux Belles Plumes (detail of head and shoulders), Museum no. T 324-1987.
   6. Coptic tapestry woven panel, 300 - 400, 22.5 x 22.5 cm. Museum no. 270-1889

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5. V&A Contemporary Tapestry Collection and Lynne Curran

   Posted 2 months ago

   I am in the middle of weaving my tapestry for the V&A’s Collection. It’s taking a long time!

   The piece will be five feet square. Frustratingly, there’s been very little that is easily photographable as it’s very pale and quite minimal - the first half, particularly so. I will publish images of the progressing subtleties in future posts.

   A few weeks ago I was in the textile galleries with V&A photographer Peter Kelleher. We were photographing some of the exquisitely fine Coptic and Peruvian fragments for the artist’s book which I’m also making for the collection. Approached by a visitor who asked where she could see some of the V&A’s contemporary textiles, I felt ashamed at how little was on display.

   To redress this, I want to highlight here Lynne Curran’s superb tapestry,
   La Dame Aux Belles Plumes, T 324-1987.

   

   The tapestry is 3 feet square and woven at 20 ends per inch.

   I had wanted to show an image of the whole piece but as far as I am aware (and rather surprisingly) non exists. However, this is to be rectified and La Dame is at this moment in the V&A photographic studios awaiting it’s turn for visual documentation.

   In an article for the Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers in 1995 Lynne wrote:
   “It depicts a lady feeding chickens with one hand and a cat being thrown out of the hen-run with the other. Her dress is translucent, her ‘fine feathers’ hinting at something deeper. No one is exactly what you see at your first meeting. There are layers to be peeled away and, given time, they might reveal another facet. When I first got my chickens it took a while before I could tell them apart and gradually they were all named after people with whom they had a common trait”

   Along with chickens, cats, singing and life drawing, Lynne has always had a passion for Italy. She now lives there, in a beautiful hill top village in Tuscany (below right) in a 900 year old house overlooking the Tiber and Arno valleys from where she runs tapestry courses.

   As I write this, students are enjoying the sun, the view, the food and her excellent teaching in the August course. The last two of the summer will be 4-5 September (beginners) and 8-9-10 September (more advanced). I think it will be a very special experience. Contact email: swiftcurran@hotmail.com

   

   
   Click thumbnails for larger versions and further details.
   

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6. Canberra: Tapestry 2008

   Posted 3 months ago

   My sojourn in Australia was the result of two invitations to take up Visiting Fellowships in Canberra and Melbourne.

   In April and May The Australian National University in Canberra hosted major International Exhibitions and Symposium: Tapestry 2008.

   
   Canberra School of Art building.

   This event “brought together practitioners, educators, students, collectors, critics, theorists and historians from around the world for exchange of ideas, interaction, practical learning, exposure to new works and informed debate.”
   It built upon the momentum of a similar event held in Melbourne twenty years earlier and, like then, it was excellent.

   Nine diverse artists were invited to exhibit in The University’s School of Art Gallery. The Fine Art of Tapestry Weaving explored “relationships between fine art, tapestry and weaving”. Download the catalogue (PDF file 1Mb).

   

   • Archie Brennan: USA

   • Yasuko Fujino: Japan

   • Aino Kajaniemi: Finland

   • Jane Kidd: Canada

   • Sue Lawty: England

   • Sara Lindsay: Australia

   • Susan Martin-Maffei: USA

   • Susan Mowatt: Scotland

   • Fiona Rutherford: England

   The open, expansive space of the Art Gallery (above) seen here with Jane Kidd’s three tapestries from her Possession Series in the foreground; Susan Mowatt’s grouping comprising tapestry, drawing and collage in the middle distance and in the minutest far distance, four lead studies of mine.

   

   Strong, graphic form epitomises the crisp, perfectly flat woven tapestries of Archie Brennan; seen in the exhibition (above left) in three from his Seated Nude series.

   The opening (above centre) with A B, Katie Hutchinson and Susan Martin-Maffei.

   Susan’s tapestries (above right) are sharply observed and executed compositions of familiar situations: here The Card Players from her Sports series. At the Symposium, Susan gave a fascinating presentation on Pre- Columbian /Andean tapestry and both she and Archie ran a very successful 3 day workshop exploring how the associated techniques influence structure and image. Regretfully, I was unable to make the workshop, but have been sent some great diagrams for the Four Selvedge technique, something I’ve long wanted to explore. These are also available from their website.

   

   Meeting new people, reconnecting with old friends - large crowds, buzz and excitement: the Opening and Floor Talks (above).

   

   Yasuko Fujino showed one huge 2 x 4 m tapestry ‘Harmas de J. H. Fabre’. Operatic in scale and composition, the vibrant painterly swathes of colour hold detailed images of insects and flowers (detail above left). During the floor talk and her symposium presentation, Yasuko (from Japan) riveted us with humility and humour… in perfect broken English.

   Colour is also central in providing the emotional impact in Fiona Rutherford’s tapestries, ‘In Conversation’ and ‘Past Present’ (above right). In her talk she also discussed how both traditional and contemporary Japanese clothing have been an important source of inspiration for her designs.

   Relaxing after the event (above centre). From l to r: Linda Wallace (American Tapestry Alliance), Jane Kidd, Fiona Rutherford, Yasuko Fujino, Bev Thomas, Belinda Jessup, Katie Hutchinson. Do check out the Tapestry 2008 Blog Belinda is running with ongoing contributions and images.

   

   Aino Kajaniemi from Finland also spoke with feeling in English. In her workshop students explored free drawing with the weave - elements very evident in her own monochromatic work ‘Memoire’, 144 x 242 cms (above). She says, “subjects of my work usually originate from the innermost heart of a human being; sorrow, joy, uncertainty, guilt, tenderness, memories and so forth. I am interested in the symbolism of pictures, in ancient messages hidden in pictures.”

   

   Three artists exhibited non-figurative work. Susan Mowatt showed a number of small, finely constructed tapestries, often with a muted colour palette as in ‘Single Concrete’ (above left) and ‘Crossing Boundaries’ (above centre).She has also developed a fascinating response to developing ideas amidst a life full of young children and teaching – see thumbnail below. In the Symposium, Susan gave a highly intelligent and entertaining presentation about tapestry within the context of 21st Century / Edinburgh College of Art. Enjoying time out in Canberra (above right) with Susan, Fiona and Kristin Saeterdal (Norway).

   

   Sara Lindsay exhibited sizeable, quiet tapestries and paper works: a contemplative response to personal connections with Sri Lanka. Cinnamon and Roses (detail above left), in which she has used cinnamon sticks and dyed the weft with tea, references her grandmother.

   (above right) With Sara, Valerie Kirk (Artist, Head of Textiles, ANU and Tapestry 2008 curator) and Kay Lawrence (Artist and Head of School, South Australian School of Art, UniSA). Valerie and her team worked non stop and with such patience and good humour, to ensure we all enjoyed a terrific world tapestry event. Thank you all.

   

   Thank you too, to the many artists who inspired us by delivering such engaging presentations not in their own tongue. Andrzej Banachowicz from Poland (above right) sorted it by making a short film with an English narration - very good.

   The end of the Symposium and Exhibitions were marked by a sumptuous celebratory dinner held in grand, candlelit surroundings at University House (above left). Archie Brennan gave the after dinner speech (above centre) closely followed - unknown to him - by tribute speeches acknowledging his fifty years of considerable contribution to world tapestry.

   
   Click thumbnails for larger versions and further details.
   

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7. Richard Kidd

   Posted 4 months ago

   

   Towards the beginning of this web-log I wrote about close friend, Richard Kidd. I touched upon his drive in creating a fabulous studio near Newcastle, his dynamic paintings and the great night to celebrate them. Friday Night and Saturday Morning (November 2005).

   It is in the saddest of circumstances that I write about him now: a small contribution at the point of his untimely death, to mark the life of a remarkable man.

   Richard embraced everything he did with a huge heart and enormous energy. With a passion for rock and for climbing, he sought out wild and remote locations for his creative inspiration - Hoy, Ardnamurchan, Skye, Arran, Mull…

   Here, the forces of nature were recorded with vigour in direct, small paintings; feelings later to be constructed by rigor and spontaneity into the large bold abstract canvases of the studio. He sought that we be ‘in’ the paintings, experiencing their physicality as directly as we might experience the natural world.

   
   Richard Kidd, oil on canvas

   Richard had the rare intelligence of also being able to write – brilliantly. Art, family, heritage, culture, peppered with a keen sense of the ridiculous, somersaulted in his brain to emerge as well crafted plots both complex and powerfully simple – in all, ten highly regarded books for the younger reader. He also wrote a short essay about my work for the book Rock, Raphia, Linen, Lead.

   

   Personally, I recall nestling among sea worn boulders with children and sketchbooks and diving into the cold crystal of Scottish waters. I remember adventures over mountains, across moors and ocean headlands; roaring wind fuelled fires of driftwood on remote beaches, vast spaghetti carbonaras and long creative conversations with red wine late into the night. I remember a disregard for material possessions, a vibrant generosity, a zest for the good things in life and a totally irreverent sense of humour.

   

   Richard Kidd was a man with a vital spirit and a fire in his belly. A few days, ago at the base of a waterfall in the Philippines, Richard was again drawn to experience the powerful energy of the natural world, tragically this time, the forces of nature proved to be too strong.

   His wild and rugged soul touched many people. He was our son, our brother, our father, our lover. He was our tutor, our mentor, our inspiration. But most of all he was our friend.

   Richard Kidd, June 1952 - July 2008

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8. AUSTRALIA

   Posted 5 months ago

   

   I’m back!

   Would like to say it was yesterday, then it would look mildly impressive to be here on the case the next day. But it wasn’t.

   Six weeks and lots to tell. It may not come out in any coherent order but I’m working on it.

   This was a professional and research trip part funded by the Arts Council. Thank you Arts Council.

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9. No. 100

   Posted 7 months ago

   
   ‘Oakura’ Jerry Morris, 2008

   World Beach reaches the landmark point of one hundred published entries. And in what style!

   Jerry Morris on North Island, NZ hits the spot with this beautifully crafted work. The attention to detail in this piece is stunning. And appropriately coincidental that it’s from New Zealand as connections with the other side of the world inspired the World Beach Project in the first place.

   Our World Map now displays stone drawings from across the globe including Japan, South America and South Africa as well as North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand!

10. Metal and Mica

    Posted 9 months ago

    One of the greatest pluses of a project such as Cloth & Culture Now is getting to meet the artists. From Finland, Japan, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia,UK; 31 of the total of 35 of us made it to the opening weekend. From formal lectures to conversations over the cornflakes, we learnt of each other’s cultures and practice. The creative connections that might join us around the globe felt a little more tangible.

    The work in this show covers an enormous spectrum of concept and materials. I felt a strong empathy to the work of many of the Finnish artists. Here Agneta Hobin.

    

    Air (detail) I m high. Agneta Hobin 2007

    Thin exquisite slivers of Mica are woven with Bronze Wire to describe a series of open, airy cylinders. They hang, barely moving. As you circle their forms, the mica fragments and to a lesser extent the bronze, catches the light - creating tantalising glints of luminescence.

    In her statement on the C&C Now website Agneta describes in detail the Finnish and particularly her own affinity for nature. And she says:

    “I am also intensely aware of the importance of quality, of the authenticity of the materials.”

    Beautiful.

    http://www.agnetahobin.fi

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11. Diary

    Posted 9 months ago
    I have never been good at keeping a diary. The thick – lockable - keep all your secrets safe – pour your heart out tomes of pre-pubescence, never made it past the first few days. Even now at the beginning of a potentially good trip away, the well intentioned - document everything excitement attached to favourite pen [...]

12. Why Stones

    Posted 11 months ago
    The idea for the World Beach Project arrived in my head fully formed and in an instant. It popped up by way of responding to the response to my work using small stones, which in its turn, is a response to the land – specifically, rock. Whether a line of quartz splitting a rock face or [...]

13. Spook

    Posted 1 year ago
    Sometimes the creativity is in the discovery, the isolating. Tiny rocky cove. Clamber or swim to. Bit secret. Hours, days months before… who knows… the head had been found. Most likely lying at a strange angle amongst the jumble of boulders. Carefully placed to catch the light. Perched, watching. Waiting to be noticed by another. In a different time frame. Stumbling [...]

14. The World Beach Project is now live

    Posted 1 year ago
    Guest post by V&A blog administrator. We are very pleased to announce that the World Beach Project webpages are now live on the V&A website and we have received our first contributions including one from North America and one from continental Europe. We have been getting very excited about this idea ever since Sue first proposed [...]