oddly enough one of the skills i have really appreciated throughout my varied existence is the ability to tie knots in fishing line. i learned this as a small girl when my family lived for a time on the shores of Lake Morey in Vermont. my big friend (who is still my friend, some 39 years on) taught me how to do this and though i suspect i have modified them over the years my knots still hold nicely, thank you.
i tied rather a lot of them yesterday, balancing on a ladder, hanging some 34 objects in an exhibition 'watermarks', recently shown on the East coast but now having its local airing at the Artspace of the Adelaide Festival Centre. it's a lovely light-filled building shaped like a sort of trapezoidal mollusc with windows on three sides. a breeze skips in when the door opens, which being automatic it does rather often, every time a passerby strolls the piazza outside.
not exactly a conservatorial dream but a great place to exhibit if you want your work to be seen by a wide audience. after hours the lights stay on so that the gallery space glows jewel-like in the night. suspended objects spin gently of their own accord. i took a few twirls across the floor myself ... resisting with difficulty the temptation to sock-skate.
The gallery looks beautiful India. You must be quite pleased. Now I have some knowledge at how many hours goes into this work, plus years of research, well, I just appreciate it all the more.Debs and I are working together on my projects with her teaching more sewing skills and compositional stuff. Very helpful. I think you would be quite impressed. And slowly, my new wardrobe, oops I mean exhibition pieces are coming together.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great space, India! Your work looks stunning.
ReplyDeletethanks Robyn and Rachelle...tis indeed a magical spot
ReplyDeleteWhat a place to let magic be magic...one almost can picture everything coming to life at night, when no one is watching, and fabrics can fly and twirl and turn the gallery into fields of dancing fibers, grasses and flowers magically transforming the space and conquering it.
ReplyDeleteIt reminded me of Peter Pan...
Dear India
ReplyDeleteI bought your book last week because it addresses a lot of the things that I already do but with non-natural dyes, and because of the gobsmackingly gorgeous photography.
I haven't blogged about it yet because I truly don't have adequate words.
Thank you for leaving the comment on my friend Lisette's blog, otherwise I might never have found yours.