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| Hanging Form I in Pie Factory: The Dreamlife of Debris Exhibition November 2012 |
The wrapping in my hanging pieces articulates and
accentuates the form, it uses the form to weave an intricate texture around it,
reminiscent of clothing but also suggesting a rope that binds, punishes and
constricts. It tries to be elegant and suggest the beautiful, sensual folding
and wrapping of drapery in classical art. I have been trying to perfect the
beauty of folding and twisting material. By soaking the twisted muslin in
plaster I have tried to recreate the effect of carved stone, as if one day it
could be alabaster. The skeins of muslin create lines, the cables spilling from
the base of the form are lines - I can draw with these lines. They suggest
tendrils of a plant searching for a foil to twine around or viscera gushing
from a disembowelled body. The long section from which the torso hangs is made
up of twisted coils of cloth and string, woven and knotted to form organic
tumours of material - it suggests the skein holding the hanging pupae or the
umbilical cord. I've tried the same form using plaster with muslin, muslin
alone and twisted plastic film. The material `changes the nature of the form.
There is always an element of chance, serendipity, the material takes over - it
won't do certain things or it does certain things of its own accord. I see
accepting this as a vital part of my creative process.
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| Hanging Form I detail |
"the fabric always implies something that lies beneath, alluding to a "substance" that looks to be veiled, if not shadowy. A subterranean, almost carnal world, one linked to suffering and pain, to joy, and to physical and concrete memories, that appear through the outlines of the woven surface. " Celant, Germano (2010) Louise Bourgeois: The Fabric Works. Milan: Skira
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| Hanging Form I detail |
In the Hanging Forms the suspension from a beam of
wood or metal emphasises the space around, below and above the pieces. There is
a feeling of fragility and temporality in the way they are hung and a tension
created by their weight and seemingly precarious hanging. The effect of gravity
comes into play, because they are suspended their weight becomes an issue. With
the space below the weight of the form is apparent and yet it is held by
threads of string and muslin.
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| Hanging Form I detail of hanging in Pie Factory Gallery |
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| Hanging Form I detail of studio hanging |
