I’m using this blog post as an opportunity to reflect on motivations and inspirations for my textile pieces and consider where some ideas originate. I’m going back a few years and many visits ago to the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich, one of the first museums in the world to display art from all around the globe and from all time periods equally and collectively. Sir Robert and Lady Lisa Sainsbury created one of the most sought after yet non-conformist art collections.
https://sainsburycentre.ac.uk/about-us/
On display are dancing female tomb figures: ( photo 1)
- · their shapes,
- · the sinuous lines,
- · the elongated upper limbs,
- · the gentle movements,
- · the peaceful round faces,
- · the wonderful hair styles and
- · the heads themselves
all on the list above and more spoke to me and inspired my work
One of my earlier pieces is a quite literal interpretation of the shapes and movements using gold work techniques on a needle felted woollen background.
I return to this background technique time and again as it creates texture to work with. (photo 2)
But the heads then developed their own personalities with some engaging to each other, others ignoring and turning away. So a small series of talking heads followed. (photo 3)
And then, taking another element from the figures, the serpentine lines of dancing: a wall hanging. The heads are still talking to each other, this time with speech bubbles.
On a black cotton background the hair shapes are produced with bleach and the round faces with decolourant. The speech bubbles with Japanese paper and the stitched lines with various metals threads. (photo 4)
The SCVA is an art gallery full of inspirations, a constant source of ideas just begging to be used.
Acknowlegements:
Gold work techniques – the Norwich Branch of the Embroiderers’ Guild and Sue Leonard
Bleaching and Decolouring – Mary McIntosh “Life’s a Bleach” workshop.
