Found treasures

I have come home from Copenhagen with an unexpected treasure. It feels like a reward for past research and gives me such joy every time I see it.



Way back in January 2009 when we decided to do this trip I was wandering through the art texts at the Acadia University Library and was drawn to a large volume called Beyond Craft : The Art Fabric - by Jack Lenor Larsen and Mildred Constantine. I renewed this book many times intrigued by weaving techniques, scale of the work, dedication to a large project, simplicities, complexities and creativity. Many of the artists' works in this book were the inspiration for the work I created for 'Exchange'. One of the featured artists I admired was Franka Rasmussen.

' In the morning I walk about looking, and I think: surely this could be better. 
Or : what muck you made yesterday...all the little talks one has with oneself. And then one goes shopping and finds four lamp shades.....I think it may be the only ability I still haven't lost in my ripe old age: I am still able to find things'
 Franka Rasmussen  (1907 - 1994)

During our first days in Copenhagen, Deborah and I decided to spend a morning in the heart of the city finding galleries she had earmarked as worth a look. We had a blast loosing and finding ourselves. My respect grew by leaps and bounds for her navigationally adept brain. We came across Folk Kunst, made a mental note to return, took a photo for an additional reminder and carried on. Then it eluded us for a few days and when you are trying to fit many things into one day, going around a block more than once just isn't time efficient.

a table runner

'It is a tremendous strain to teach while making something yourself, but I couldn't do without either: getting to understand other people's way of thinking, getting new ideas started...I called it 'composition', later it became 'form and colour'...I simply tried to improve their vision, to teach them to see what they see.' Franka

Eventually, in the last week, around one more corner where many triangular blocks met, that sweet little sign showed up again. Inside was a gentle man named Morten Grue, shop owner, puppeteer, artist, maker of found object mobiles and a past student of Franka Rasmussen. This tiny little shop had some interesting vintage folk art AND some work done by Franka. Morten had purchased her summer home with contents (they were friends) and the last pieces he had of her's were in the store. They were here... and available, two wall hangings and two table runners. It just felt right. To see and touch them seemed to fulfill a quest and complete the project. It would be a few days before I decided to purchase a piece to bring home but I am happy every day that I did.

This one stayed at the store.
Morten kindly gave me the book with my purchase.

Franka Rasmussen -  'My attitude is that I will do things because the work is exciting in itself....that is the experience I want. The result however is not interesting. I have never kept a record or collected photos, because once a piece of work is finished, I'm on my way to the next one. It amazes me that I haven't felt the need to sell, but it wasn't necessary for my self confidence or for the reverence I feel for my work...It was this: I made the things for their own sake. That was the reason for working.'

And I have gone shopping and found................the end of a chapter....................Udveksling next....Pam

What? Dream Catchers?

Keeping it short today. Trying to stay away from the dream world and focus on all the tasks at hand.

Our last show was Awakenings. These are my pieces created around that theme.

                                                                   

 We never know for sure how someone else will think and feel about our work and I was surprised when some people asked if these large pieces were  dream catchers. They stand 6 feet tall and the circles are 25 inches in diameter. Once the comment was made I went though a range of emotions. The dream catcher has felt overdone to me, almost a bit kitchy. I wasn't feeling great about this reaction, until I watched and talked with the dream catcher people who were truly moved by how they felt. They changed my mind about dream catchers and how I feel about showing work.

From there it was easy to let go of my first reaction and let the art be what it is, open for interpretation for one and all. Not every one thought dream catcher, not every one liked them but the feedback was nourishing on all levels. I will strive to make myself clearer with future pieces knowing that not everyone will see as I see. In February I was walking by my front window and the reflection begged a photo. Kind of dreamy I think!

Do you think art pieces should have a clear message? How would this interpret across cultural boundaries? What could speak to all the cultures in the world? Here is where my mind will be as I go back to working with production pieces for the afternoon. (one of the benefits of production work).

Enjoy life!  

Pam

Lapse

I've been thinking a lot about the word exchange.  I will not be joining my artistic companions in Denmark, and the nature of my exchange will be filtered.

Philisophically I find this very interesting.  Thre are only so many experiences we, with our limits, can have.  There are newspapers, novels and friends.  But when opening our lens to the world, even the neighbourhood next door, it seems, we need to invite more.

Something should happen in an exchange.  Something zingy.  A moment of recognition.  Like what happens when you look down and see your shape squished in tall grasses, moonlight filling it.

When I think of exchange, I imagine a lapse in emotional distance, connection in the midst of context laid sometimes with care, sometimes thoughtlessly, sometimes by chance.  From this vantage, a major part of any exchange is actually the background:   your life's accumulation of sleep, the number of times you have known yourself wrong, good;  whether you count swiftly, slowly by ones, tens, hundreds, zeroes.

SEVEN is seven people sharing one context some of the time.  We meet for three hours once a month, mostly doing business.  Ok, so who is going to write that grant?  The blog schedule is as follows....   My job is to write the agenda and make sure we stay on track so we can get the work done.  I like creating a safe place for others and myself.  I like laying the context and don't mind when it is dull, flat, distanced.  But my job is also to make sure we get the business done, so there is time to share our art, our experiences, laughs.

Even after the agenda is followed and everyone has had a chance to speak  ...we often want more.   I don't even think I know what it is precisely.  But I do know when it has happenned.

At the last meeting of SEVEN, I explained that I just didn't know how to respond artistically to the Denmark show.   I was truly happy for everyone going ...but that wasn't cutting it.   Emotionally, I felt too disconnected.   They said, well, you could write about that.  "Oh great." I laughed with them; then with a deepened radio announcer voice boomed,  "The indifference of Kelly."

Not exactly something to be proud of; but potentially, a starting point.

An Exchange Between a Mouse and a Mamma Mouse

Today I went to the park with the “I am almost 4-years old” being in my life, who refuses to go by any given name, and prefers instead to be identified with the animal kingdom.

While this cute baby mouse scurried about, I collected tree blossoms from the slides, cupped them in my paws and breathed in their purple, red down. I felt a compulsion to pick each strand from the ground; hope, misplaced on gravel.  How plain and rewarding such a task seemed. One blossom, two, three, ....a bazillion. Hours of  soft tedium. And a nest to snooze in when exhausted.

"What are you doing Mamma mouse?"

 "Smell this. What do you think?"

"I'm hungry."

(blogged by Kelly Marie Redcliffe, poet who will be having her Denmark exchange vicariously from home while playing various Mamma animal roles)

International Transplant

Hi, I am Pia, the transplanted Dane in the group who has had the immense fortune of landing in this beautiful spot on earth, Nova Scotia, Canada. I am a textile artist, a weaver of shawls and scarves, and a tapestry weaver from the inner core of my being.

Barn wall, inspiration for Tapestry #1
I have lived here since July 1989 and have enjoyed each day, every day, all day. Watched my kids grow up and fly away from our comfy nest on strong Canadian wings with a feather or two of their Danish genes shining through.
So many opportunities have shown themselves and one of the biggest ones I would say is when life took a turn of its own and I suddenly found myself with this group of fun, interesting and inspiring women. We are all full of passion about what we do. I think we dream it at night, and float away on thoughts about projects in the middle of the day. Our creativity is pervasive in our every breath and........ it is lovely, exhausting and very inspiring.
I grew up in Copenhagen, Østerbro to be more precise, and it is lovely that our first exhibit in Denmark will take place in Trepkasgade at Galleri Basal Elin, just a few blocks away from where some of my siblings still live and bring up their families. Big City surroundings, lots of buses, cars, bicycles, and bicycle paths, trains galore to get from A to B or just strong legs, used to getting from here to there at a brisk walk.

Living here in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia is something I would never trade - I cannot easily see myself anywhere else now. It has to be added though that when Seven decided to travel with me to Denmark and we were given the opportunity to exhibit our artwork, not only in one or two places, but a third place turned up - well, then I did get rather and extra excited about the whole plan.
National pride is something funny, you never know when it will turn up and how it will express itself. As it is for me right now, I have so may interesting places I would like to take my group to when we arrive in Copenhagen - Cannot wait to take them all to the top of Rundetaarn, so they can look at the city roofs, new and old, a place which I usually go to when I do go back for visits. Art museums - Statens Museum for Kunst, where I remember doing an essay about a most humongous painting when I was 17 and getting a good grade for it. I spent hours in front of that painting - do not know if it is still there, but ...... I know the museum was renovated some years ago and so there will be so much more and other pieces of art for us to look at and to get inspired by.
My approach to "Exchange" is to study and get inspired by the surfaces, textures and colours on buildings surrounding me where I live, and when I go to Copenhagen I will study the surfaces surrounding me where I grew up - back then I may not exactly have noticed them.

This is a steaming pot of newly dyed yarn for the first project which is off the loom already.

Piece #1 came of last Sunday, it still needs to be finished up for hanging, but it is off the loom and the warp has been re-tied and tightened so when the yarn has been dyed I can sit down and start to weave this next expression of joy which is galloping around in my brain.
Today I will start organizing wool and yarn for the next tapestry piece which I will bring to Denmark. 
 
Until next time I have an overflow of words spilling out of my fingers,
Pia