Space and place...

From the lectures I have been thinking a lot about space and place and I have read a lot of things that I have found intersting. Work of artists, working to bring together about a sense of place ; a jeweller in holland, exploring this concept by creating a public art piece (with some relation to jewellery) in an empty space, which everyone could contribute towards, therefore making something where people had a connection to, an association with...meaning it was now a place.  Had a sense of community.  Also what I found interesting was the fact that he believed, because he was a jeweller, his idea was accessible as jewellery has a connection to the body -people wear it.

Textiles? association of 'cloth' with people? 

Textiles is familiar; as in the material of objects and things around us; clothes; warmth; wrapping; sewing and repairing.

Thinking about working towards textiles pieces that go in a space or a place.

A place can be defined as - an intangible, mythical web of memories and association

A space can be defined as - abstract and unidentified (unless it is known mathematically, eg. boudaries, spaces under tables, a measure of a gap...)

So to think about turning a space into a place, putting things into spaces to make places- putting textile sculptures or forms (like the cotton buds and cocoons and other shapes and things)  

Because of the familiarity of cloth they could create a sense of place and familiarity, but if they were strange forms/placed differently/ coloured differently and 'unheimliche' they may even create a feeling of 'fragility' (something I am still thinking about).

It had been a very thoughtful past few days, to say the least.

Maxine Bristow.

Maxine Bristow creates minimalist pieces made from cloth that illustrate her exploration of time, process and form and I really was intrigued by her ideas about Plain sewing how she uses traditional techniques as an expression of modernity; button holes, seaming and darning work, needlepoint and stitching.

I like that there is nothing decorated or crafty nor an obvious narrative in her work as she says ‘the strategy of keeping the works blank and neutral is that they become more resonant’.

Tools and things

Craft?

A few CP seminars ago, we looked at the arts/crafts debate. Interesting, yet obviously tricky subject.

Just recently I have been looking through and reading on of my books 'By Hand- The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art' and I thought there were a few interesting points...

-'Activities historically associated with feminine conventions [STITCH, FABRIC] are stunningly repurposed'

Maybe craftUSED TO=women (why) ? but not today, not in this book.

TUCKER SCHWARZ

-The creators in this book are referred to as artists, who are exploring crafts techniques, not craftspeople, which I think is quite refreshing(or...nice?good?) as crafts usually has negative connotations...

-There are a few things to suggest handmade work is more personal.

Sometimes true, but sometimes not.

KIKI SMITH

-'The emergence of handmade and craft related practices is, in a sense a response to the omnipresence of technology in everyday life and in artistic procedure.'

So, possibly suggesting the handmade craft is equallly important as the digital and technological fine art (like video/installations?) we see today. Therefore, craft should be regarded no less important than art.

Maybe?

These are just a few points that got me thinking about things.