Last week I went to an exhibition in Brighton at the University called "Stitching for Survival", which showed the work of textile artist Michele Walker.
She had researched sashiko, a type of Japanese stitch-work used on garments and believed to give spiritual and physical protection to the body. She also visited Japan to try and discover more about the tradition.
I actually found the exhibition quite depressing. It was interesting, I suppose, that she had tried to recapture an old tradition that was being lost but i found her work, especially the installation pieces, really sad.
One piece represented a cave where parents would go to mourn the loss of a child and she had made these little body-like, wrapped packages that were attached to sticks and stuck in the ground. Also, in the room there was the sound of Japanese women chanting which added to the grim atmosphere.
I generally don't find this kind of textile work inspiring and i didn't enjoy the exhibition as it left me feeling empty. I prefer work based around colour, pattern, print, - decortive textiles.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment