Tuesday 19 January 2010

Mit luftpudefartøj er fyldt med ål


the artist house at Tranum is in a magical spot


with a view on a wonderful red barn
that constantly changes colour with the light



we take long walks by the frozen sea



pondering whether the waves were so cold that they might have had the consistency of honey at the moment they suddenly froze





and in case anyone is wondering what the Yeti wears under its coat
the answer is
a LOT more than a Scotsman wears under his kilt
and [close up] it looks like this


but even in the snowyness
there's treasure to be found for a wandering dyer
at this moment the Yeti
turns into a Bear
and begins to dig and scratch


revealing seaweed, rich in colour



old habits die hard



at the end of our week of walking and working we pack our things and begin the trek back to Copenhagen
a taxi collects us from Tranum Strand for the short trip to Brovst. the driver, a cheerful and gregarious chap, looks as if he could be a cousin of Viggo Mortensen, complete with gap-toothed and charming smile

he's pleased to hear that i live in the Hundred of Jutland on the fringe of the Barossa Valley
and tells me something i know already, that the best Shiraz in the whirled comes from there as well
we are in complete agreement
he's also very keen on Crocodile Dundee who has just been shown on TV, again.
i resist the momentary temptation to tell him that I'm Crocodile Dundee's sister.

at Brovst we board a bus to Aalborg
where
after consuming the mandatory railway station hot chocolate
something one has to do once in ten years
but not more frequently
we find our train back to Copenhagen
refreshed in spirit
and still a little light-headed
after a splendid week
full of plans for what we are now calling
'The Planeta Project'
which [after our two Planeta exhibitions, the one in Ararat, Australia
and the other here in Copenhagen]
is taking a tip from the landscape
and beginning to snowball...

ps the title of this post translates as
"my hovercraft is full of eels"
just
because i can

18 comments:

  1. Such a gorgeous post. I love the patterns of the frozen waves.

    ReplyDelete
  2. so that's where those wily eels went!

    india, this look into the far north (makes my north country south) has been uplifting for me. i anticipate planeta project with huge interest.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was disallusioned with the cold (dreaming of palm trees.....I am certain if you can find wonderful things to use for dye there.....you can find it anywhere), until I saw this post. It truly looks like a magical place.

    I am searching for info on how one gets you to come do a workshop. When you get a chance I'd love to know.

    Your sense of humor enhances everything else you do. LOVE it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful pictures....
    when I was living in Alaska I watched the Kuskokwim River flash freeze over. It was one of those things I'll never forget and the water did act like honey then suddenly still.
    I, too, look forward to what comes forth from the Northern Beauty.
    Stay warm

    ReplyDelete
  5. This looks so cold, how are you ever going to cope when you come home to our weather. I like what the Yeti wears underneath too, it could hang on the wall instead of the wardrobe.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a great post and photos. What an exerience. I really always wanted a hoveraft full of eels!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I had no idea that the sea would freeze in waves?! Amazing...all of it

    ReplyDelete
  8. The idea of frozen waves like honey, thrills me. These are magnificent images. What a journey you are on and so different from life in the Barossa.

    ReplyDelete
  9. what a wonderFULL posting.
    and your photos take my breath away.

    :-)

    i live so near the Atlantic Ocean
    and its waves
    but i have never seen them frozen.

    i have never even thought
    about them freezing
    until now.

    Thank you for popping into my blog
    so that i might follow you here
    to your home.

    ***your fabric is amazing***

    this--->
    "my hovercraft is full of eels"
    made me laugh so.

    well, i have never had THAT happen
    but once i had
    this ---->
    "my kayak is full of shrimp"


    no really!
    they jumped right in
    while i was paddling........

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love you india
    your artwork and blogs always make my heart sing
    and
    by the way - for a "baby" in the textile world (and in particular dyeing) your book is always by my side - bring on the new one - can't wait!

    ReplyDelete
  11. love this post. it makes me homesick for sweden - I can't beleive how much snow they got. love your work - hope to see you in class sometime soon...

    ReplyDelete
  12. India
    This is a gorgeous post in so many ways.
    It carried me away. Is that your stitching in the last photo? Amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi India.
    Glad that you are enjoying my homeland. Beautiful pictures.....I wish I could be in that snow right now, haven't seen that much snow for a long time.Told my Auntie to go and see you exebition....but not sure if she has or not.Enjoy the rest of your time there...looking forward to see what dyes you can get out of out plants.
    HAve you tried to say ;roedgroed med floede??? You might have to get a native speaker to help you with that one ;-)
    Cheers
    Maria

    ReplyDelete
  14. 1. those frozen waves of honey are incredible
    2. sigh.... to be seated near Viggo....or even a relative....even an imaginary one.... sigh
    3. green from the bear scratchings? beautiful
    4. soooo wish you'd claimed to be Mr Dundee's sister!
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  15. dropped in for a quick visit [last chance until Sunday]
    and have ben much delighted by the friendly comments and stories
    wish shrimp would jump into MY boat
    and the thought of watching a river stop in mid-flow is mind blowing
    yup that's my stitching
    the felt dress has scored a few funny looks in Copenhagen
    but mostly big friendly smiles
    and yup
    i'll happily wander your way Karen, if i can align the path with a clear space in my diary...
    the bear scratchings produced reddish browns, green was from another fragment of wind-blown seaweed i caught in passing
    toodle pip
    india

    ReplyDelete
  16. what a frozen world--frozen waves in the ice-- currents like the raked currents in the white sands in the Japanese gardens--such beautiful imagery

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love how you can scratch a dye out of nearly nothing, and make it look marvellous.

    and,

    I wonder if that phrase will ever be needed?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Your seeweed undle looks amazing. I love that picture of the frozen waves/sea brine? That has to be the best winter photo I have seen yet.

    ReplyDelete