sea silks

selling installation

2009-02-25T04:51:00.000-08:00

One thing I wanted to add......................

I wont break up this installation, that was never my intention. It remains as a whole.

However, I would be happy to see it permanently installed in a reflective space, where one might quietly sit, think and be still for a while.
This could be a church, chapel, hospice.................who knows?

Should this be of interest, then contact me and we can discuss this or a possible site specific installation.

moving on

2009-02-14T01:26:00.000-08:00

That's probably all the images I'll post for Sea Silks, the installation is there at Taigh Chearsabhagh, do go if you have a chance to see it. I hope it might tour.

It was a moving experience for me, both creating and installing. I've learned a great deal, some of it surprising. We don't always recognise who we are, do we?
I am indebted to all who had a hand in the making, thanks!
Also to Taigh Chearsabhagh in Lochmaddy for showing the work in such a wonderful venue. I'm pleased!

I'm now working on the research project with my colleague Dr Cathy Treadaway, from University of Wales, Cardiff. It's exciting. We find that our shared experience and memory impacts positively on our work, making the journey so enjoyable. Often words aren't needed.

Thank you for reading this blog of Sea Silks, it's been cathartic developing it.
Time to move on.

Alison 14th Feb 2009
ps. Happy Valentine's Day :)

2009-02-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

2009-02-13T13:17:00.000-08:00

2009-02-13T13:01:00.000-08:00

2009-02-13T12:53:00.000-08:00

installation

2009-02-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

Looking at the images I took just before I left, I'm not a very good photographer, at least not for this. I should go back up again with a better camera, or a video might be better. They don't come close to capturing the experience of standing in the work, looking up at the gently rotating forms. That's why some are out of focus: they move! They're meant to move in the air currents. This lady seems to like it though?

some of the work of the installation

2009-02-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

I took lots of photos of the installation, but I need to sort through them first.Here are a few to start with.

These small pieces were placed on plynths with suspended silk forms suspended just above them.

This was Andy's idea; it was really good to work with someone who understood what I was trying to convey with the work. Sometimes words just don't work in explanation, do they?

journey home

2009-02-10T12:16:00.000-08:00

I'm skipping ahead now, the drive back was unbelievably beautiful. So white, so cold, so still, such empty roads! Aviemore was -18c. A bit worrying...........................but worth it. My windscreen skoosher froze and took about 3 hours to thaw out. I spent the night in Fort William then drove south again. (Did some essential shopping as well, that's Ben Nevis behind Morrisons)

The best sights were at Kintail but the only part of the views not white was the actual road itself, no place to stop or else I'd have been stuck in deep snow. So sadly, no photos!

installation

2009-02-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful building here at Taigh Chearsabhagh, very old, the sea laps the walls at high tide and the wind is constant.

For interesting background reading, go to the website
http://www.taigh-chearsabhagh.org.uk/

This is how we started. Andy MacKinnon, the Arts Officer, spent most of the week up scaffolding, suspending fine nylon threads, about 100 of them! I spent the week up a ladder, attaching the small silks, changing my mind, getting stiff shoulders. Took most of the week to finish.

I ran a couple of really interesting workshops with over 60's and primary 7 pupils from local schools, focusing on my inspirational sources of seaweed. They collaborated well, no fisty cuffs at all and produced beautiful artwork which hopefully will encourage them to go and look more closely at their own shorelines on Uist. My more than able assistant was Sarah MacIntyre. She runs children's workshops regularly at Taigh Chearsabhagh. I'm not sure what her correct title is; Education Officer probably. I hope her cold has gone, she bravely faced the freezing temperatures all week and was really supportive. Thanks Sarah :)

journey

2009-02-10T11:48:00.001-08:00

The sail from Oban took 7.5 hours. I dozed. Stunning views, relatively mild on deck at night. This may be Coll or Tiree?

The scene which greeted me on daylight was this one, as I drove from South Uist up to Lochmaddy.

No mobile signal; nice prospect :)

2009-01-29T08:01:00.000-08:00

Wandering round doing displacement stuff. This is very difficult, to finally break the thread.

Taking it all down, packing it away, out of sight is almost impossible today. I sit and stare at it all, the sketchbooks, the PowerPoint.

I'm about to be exposed....................my inner mind's eye reviewed and assessed for sensitivity and visualisation. How do I feel about this now? Is it good enough? Could I have done more? better? differently?

This is just wallowing.....................................think..............................logistics!

Get on with it.............

still packing

2009-01-29T06:08:00.000-08:00

Today my colleague is finishing these panels ready to take with me. It's tricky work, sewing such delicate silks.

Thank you Caroline :)

I feel so unsettled just now, my chest is tight, can't sleep, walk around with lists.................I'm now looking forward to the 7.5 hour ferry trip from Oban to Lochboisdale this Sunday. Time to think, watch for whales, read and sleep. Should be a beautiful sail, if it stays calm!

another reason for missing home

2009-01-28T12:18:00.000-08:00

This is my son in New Zealand last year, when he was away travelling. I missed him.

He's back now :)

I think he feels differently to me about Arran.

Reflecting

2009-01-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

I have hundreds of photos of my shoreline, when I feel homesick, I look at them again. As you can see, the mountain one was a photo I didn't take!

It's interesting to look at different shorelines in Scotland, all beautiful in their own distinctive way, full of memories. The land you see here is Kintyre, out to the west.

2009-01-28T11:21:00.001-08:00

These are better pictures of where I'm going this weekend; Lochmaddy.

They show the gallery where I'm exhibiting as well, Taigh Chearsabhagh Heritage and Art Centre, a cultural hub of the islands. I've stayed in the artist's flat before, the sea laps the building walls at high tide :)

As you can see, it's a very special place.

2009-01-27T11:21:00.000-08:00

My sketchbook is absolutely essential and is an integral part of all this.

The other image shows part of the process of creating the sea silks. Time plays a very important part in all of this. And patience................................

2009-01-27T11:11:00.000-08:00

Maybe I should talk a bit about why I work the way I do.

It's all process driven rather than by an abstract concept. The actual processes involved take quite a while to work through, with several variations along the route to finding the answer. Some of these textile processes I've learned, others are adapted from different disciplines. Usually, there isin't a correct way to attempt an idea's visualisation, you just have to try it and see what comes.

With this body of work, spanning several years, there have been many dead ends where I just became bogged down with no where to go. Being alert to possibilities helps, not knowing where solutions come from or when to expect them.

I do keep a running sketchbook as a documentation of all the work's progress; I forget things :)

It's also good as a teaching tool as well as almost speaking for itself. In a fire, I'd grab it before my laptop...........well...............almost.

So why do it?

Curiosity. That burning question.............I wonder what happens if I.....................?

Makes for dull company unless you happen to be driven too.

I wouldn't change any of it and would do it all again.

taking down

2009-01-27T03:06:00.000-08:00

Today I started dismantling the work for the exhibition, I leave for North Uist at the weekend.
This feels sad, yet it is time to move on with new work now. It's been a huge part of my life for over 2 years, part of my daily vision, so to have it disappear is difficult. It leaves a very large space, quite literally, in my studio which now needs to be filled with new thoughts and journeys.

Very very careful packing needed!

networking

2009-01-25T02:35:00.000-08:00

Lochmaddy, North Uist,
Outer Hebrides

Glen Coe

A great day yesterday in Edinburgh, talking the talk with a fellow artist. We all work in such self imposed isolation, forgetting that a different yet empathic perspective always helps us to move forwards.

Thanks Jenny! Good inspiration.

My colleague Joanne Kaar does the same for me too: so far away.

Thanks Joanne!

This week I have to dismantle the work in my studio to take up to Taigh Chearsabhagh, North Uist.

Mixed feelings now, I lived with this inner world for so long, moving among the suspended silk. Will the studio echo?

The journey north is daunting, not a good time to travel with delicate cargo. Here's hoping for a heatwave, no wind and empty roads.

2009-01-23T10:59:00.001-08:00

This is where I place the silk forms, among the seaweed. They can drift away, almost unobserved.

2009-01-23T10:45:00.000-08:00

This is what I've been developing recently; almost like vessels. It's still silk, using the same processes but moving it forwards into new forms. I've scorched the silk to create the fragmented appearance.

suspended

2009-01-23T10:36:00.000-08:00

This gives an idea of how the work looks when installed in a dedicated space; in this instance, my studio.

shibori

2009-01-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

New shapes for me. Working on a much larger scale with silk; scorching, clamping and stitching.

new techniques

2009-01-23T09:55:00.000-08:00

I spent some time in Sutherland during the summer of 2008, developing the work, responding to the shoreline way up there. This is the studio Timespan provided for me, the flat there was great. My colleague, Dr Cathy Treadaway, Reader in Creative Practice at UWIC spent a week with me. We worked on our project, I'll talk of this later.

2009-01-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

This is more what I need now, delicate, fragile yet strong.

These are quite small, only a few inches high. Made from silk habotai, wax, pigment and metallic threads.

2009-01-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

I I used multiple techniques over several days. Time does play an important part in all of this. Patience.

Forming

2009-01-23T09:32:00.000-08:00

I'm predominantly a 2D artist, I have problems reversing my car! So working in 3D was seriously challenging. The only way to see my ideas was to make them, over and over, till I managed to get the right sensation. Using silk and its subtle resilience was the right thing to do. Conveying this with grace, was something else again.

2009-01-23T09:10:00.000-08:00

Ideas often come at odd times when you least expect it. Struggling to visualise the shadows at the back of your mind, this is the hard part.

This is my studio on Arran as I started exploring the possibilities.

2009-01-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

Every day is different on a shoreline. Wind blows, seaweed comes, stones shift, contours alter. New textures and shapes appear.

starting the journey

2009-01-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

This is my beach, where I walk and think. This is Jess, my initial reason for walking here twice a day.

Sea Silks January 2009

2009-01-23T07:39:00.000-08:00

I'm Alison F Bell, a textile artist living and working in the West of Scotland.

The work shown here, the words, the images, are a response to walking along a specific shoreline on the Isle of Arran for almost 20 years. The seaweed, the stones, the sea all have played their part in its creation and I'd like to share it with you.

I hope you like it.