Friday 29 January 2016

Talking Textiles


West Africa: Word, Symbol, Song is the main temporary exhibition at the British Library at present. The exhibition explores West Africa's relationship with language whether it be oral, written or symbolic.  Comprised of 17 nations and with a population of over 340 million people it must have been a difficult decision for the curators deciding what to put in and what to leave out.  Luckily they did not leave out textiles.

The exhibition begins by looking at some of the region's various societies and how they are bound together with stories and symbols.  A major theme throughout the exhibition was how music and song is used to pass down myths and legends, as well as politics and social concerns.  Costume and masks often play a major role in the performance of such music.  There were masks on display but also films of performance.  This did not just relate to traditional West African ceremonies but also the annual Notting Hill Carnival.

There was a section on adinkra and Kente cloth with a display of hand carved stamps cut from gourds that are used to print a variety of symbols that makes this cloth so special.  Explanations of a variety of symbols were displayed throughout the exhibition.

One display of printed cloth was that made for the Methodist Church of Ghana's Inaugural Conference (1961) and turned into a dress.  It included the name of the conference, topographical images and floral motifs in a bright blue colour - it made a very striking outfit.

At the very end of the exhibition there was a section relating to modern writing - not just as books but as film, radio, even Twitter.   Also included was a display of cloth with symbols that alluded to sayings and proverbs.  The cloth was given names that reflected its meaning such as "Your eyes can see but your mouth cannot say", "You treat me as if I were a snail" and "Do not put your gold around the neck of a guinea fowl".

There was so much more in this exhibition and I was particularly interested in some of the individual stories that were told in written accounts or even in song.  The story of Queen Nanny of the Maroons. She was a remarkable woman with a very peculiar talent.

The exhibition does not shy away from issues surrounding such themes as slavery and colonialism, but the overall impression was of a region full of diversity, colour and joy.  There is plenty of music, some to listen to privately on headphones, but also some to enjoy as you walk around the exhibits.  I was particularly amused to see a group of teenagers spotted dancing along to the carnival music - not something usually seen in the British Library.

The exhibition continues until 16 February 2016 - see the British Library website for details of opening times and admission prices.  The library also has an exhibition about Alice in Wonderland (which I have yet to see) and continues until 17 April 2016.  This exhibition is free and in the library entrance hall.

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Monstrous textile


For me, one of the joys of contemporary art is when something I have seen a dozen or so times, and taken no real interest in, later becomes something quite intriguing.  This is what happened when I went to Tate Modern this week and joined one of their free tours in the "Making Traces" gallery.  The first work we viewed was this piece by Lee Bul, called Untitled (Cravings White).

It is not an original piece in the sense that it is a 2011 reconstruction of a work lost in a studio flood. The original was created in 1988.  The artist made other similar pieces in red and black.  It is made of textile, stuffed with more textiles.  It is not just a sculpture - it is a costume.

Lee Bull (b. 1964) is a Korean artist who wore this costume on several occasions both in Korea and in Japan.  Our Tate guide said she wore it in the streets but also in front of shrines.  It is therefore a remnant of performance art

It looks organic - like a root, but its colouring also makes it look like stone.  As a costume it makes the wearer look like a monster and this, we were told represents a "transgression of boundaries and a fascination with the uncanny".  It is reminiscent of myths and legends, but also reflects the artist's interest in the creatures of Hieronymus Bosch.  

As a costume worn by a female artist, it could also be seen as making a comment on gender issues.   There are also political interpretations.  What sort of woman would wear such a bizarre outfit in 1980s Korea?

It seems this fabric, organic, stone like, monster costume has many angles to explore relating to politics, performance, mythology, the natural world and gender.  I am not sure I will be able to walk past it again without seeing it in a completely new light.





Thursday 14 January 2016

Prehistoric Embroidery


Many years ago, when I studied creative embroidery (City and Guilds), a favourite topic was the history element.  There are several ancient pieces still extant.  There are quite a few pieces in the V&A Museum, including several medieval copes.  I expect these will be star pieces in their exhibition on opus Anglicanum later this year.  Perhaps the most famous, ancient embroidery is the work known as the Bayeux Tapestry (11th century). There is also some interesting Viking embroidery at the National Museum of Denmark (which dates from 970/971AD).  I think the oldest embroidery that exists was found in China.

Today I saw evidence of an exceptionally ancient piece of English embroidery.  Click HERE for a picture though it is not very exciting - and it looks just the same in real life.  What is remarkable is that it is over 2000 years old.  It is a piece of iron which was once a brooch.  The brooch corroded but the mark of the woven cloth it was attached to was imprinted on its surface and, it is said, shows evidence of embroidery at its edge.  I looked very closely but I could not see it, but perhaps with a magnifying glass, and no glass cabinet in between?  Yet I still thought it really fascinating because it showed evidence of "ordinary" embroidery in pre-historic Britain.  It dates from 250-100BC and was found in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

It was part of the British Museum, Celts: Art and Identity exhibition.  There were two other pieces of embroidery on display - one a banner at the entrance which dated from 1896 (designed by a TH Thomas) and used annually in the Welsh Eisteddfod, and another decorating part of a "druid" costume, also for the Eisteddfod.

The exhibition looked at what is meant by the term Celtic - like many such labels its meaning has changed over time.  Originally it was the Greeks back in 500BC who used it to describe people of continental Europe (not Britain or Ireland), later it was used to differentiate non-Roman people.  In 1703-7, "Celtic" described the languages of Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Ireland, Brittany and the Isle of Man which are all connected linguistically but then developed separately.  The eighteenth century was also the time when the idea of the Celts was first romanticised.

I learnt that Celtic is not a race of people but a term to describe communities with a non-Mediterranean way of looking at the world (ie, they were different from the Classical world).  Celtic art is identified as including stylised plants, animals and people with abstract shape-shifting designs, most likely reflecting religious beliefs.  Celtic art was picked up and used by the Romans, and it developed and changed over the years. It was used to decorate pots, weapons, books and jewellery - all of which were on display.  There were a large number of torcs - some of them very fine and delicate, some hefty and looked very uncomfortable to wear.  It is believed the different designs represented regional differences.

Going around this exhibition looking at the designs that survived on pots and other objects I wondered how many would have been inspired by, or replicated in, embroidery.  This week an archaeological dig in Cambridgeshire (Must Farm) was reported as finding textiles dating from the Bronze Age so perhaps there is a chance of finding some even older embroidery.

The exhibition at the British Museum continues until 31st January 2016.


Thursday 7 January 2016

Judith - a woman of violence and virtue

I love catch up TV and the other day I re-watched a programme on Artemisia Gentileschi - a 17th century artist of great talent who worked at a time when being a woman made it a difficult career choice.  I did know a little about her before the programme, but I did recognise some of the art works. It was an interesting programme about what is known about her life, which I wish I had known before my recent trip to Rome.  I was particularly surprised to see that the church (Santo Spirito in Sassia), where she married.  It was one of the churches I had sought out because of its intact foundling wheel.




One of Artemesia's most famous paintings might seem rather surprising for a woman of her time - an image of "Judith Slaying Holofernes".  It is rather graphic, but immensely powerful - and I have only seen it in reproduction.

A very simplified version of the story is that the virtuous widow Judith plans to overcome General Holofernes who is attacking her home city of Bethulia.  The beautiful Judith, dressed in her finery, visit the General's tent.  While he is overcome with drink, she calmly cuts his head off, and carries it home.  

Surprisingly it was a very popular subject for embroidery and other needlework items in the seventeenth century.  The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge has a version as a whitework sampler  (click here) and there also exists a needlework panel belonging in the Burrell Collection in Glasgow (click here).  Sometimes Judith is shown with her female servant and often she is holding the head in her hand.

Judith was one of several biblical heroines who allowed women the opportunity to send a message of political protest while pursuing what was then considered a rather genteel art.