On the subject of Crochet

Okay at least for the moment let me linger on Crochet a little while longer. Here are some visual gems lazily unearthed via the net.

1970s coat - arguably the golden era of fashionable crochet

Crochet in the trendy craft category - yes, you can crochet the contents of your fruit and vegetable fridge drawer. Just know when to stop.

1940s hat - crochet was perhaps being experimented with in some fashion ateliers. This is noggin topper is a neato!

Crochet in the Arts - Australian artist Louise Weaver (what a pun) uses a wide variety of materials and mediums in her work. Her employment of knitting in some of her recent sculptural environments/installations evokes a soulful and imaginative reading.

I found some crochet patches in the linen cupboard recently. They were most likely prepared for the assemblage of a cosy (and cute in a 'kitsch' way) couch blanket. I commondeered the green, pink and cream coloured patches and subsequently they became studio experiment subjects. I had stitched paper imagery to fabric before, but I had not previously used yarn based items or crochet full stop. Crochet does fall into that Granny pastime category and now with the resurgence of crafternoons and funky mums fondling yarn in cafes blah blah...the overall image of the distinctive weave is what interests me more. Also, it is intrinsically associated with women's work...actually not even work, more like hobby-work that was meant to have a functional outcome (i.e. cardigan, couch blanky etc). An occupation to chip away at. Maybe that is why the appearance of crochet forms in street art has such a unique signature in the urban/suburban environments - because crochet/knitting can often be inseparable from the notion of homeliness and conventional craft.

Anyway, I experimented in the studio with some paper imagery and stitched focal point images to a couple of the patches.
The eye was painted in gouache on watercolour paper, cut out and stitched onto the patch with white thread. The face image was extracted from the corny 'Moon Child' story came across inside a big book of short stories (circa 1982).

Research topic - customary garments and symbolic garb

The Torero's Jacket

Note/Warning: If you research 'Matador' via Google, be prepared to come across images that will make you wince and wander why there is such a blood thirsty need to do what the Matadors do. I feel for the Bulls.

Nevertheless, in the context of customary garments and clothing - I am interested in the traditional costume worn by the Matador de Toros (Killer of Bulls). The jacket or 'Chaquetilla', while elaborately decorated, is intended to allow for ease of movement. What I find interesting about the Torero's whole costume is the contrast between the fine and the bloodthirsty. The jacket is heavily embellished and regal in appearance, yet the sport itself is violent and cruel. They must get bloodstained sometimes if not often, all that nice needlework tsk tsk tsk. However, leaving my unsubtle opinion on bullfights aside, I can't help but swoon over the Torero's traje de luces!

Frenz and Anemones - creative block collage

Anemone Eye
(2012)
collage

I saw her face in the Himalayas
(2012)
Collage

An Unknown Vista
(2012)
Collage

Woeful Moon Child - collage test

Collage image testing - images derived from a 1960 edition of National Geographic and a children's book annual 'Misty 1983'. The illustration of the woeful face was extracted from a story about a teenage girl who discovers that she is some kind of Witch or 'Moon Child' as it is referred to in the title. The story, might I add, was hilarious mostly due to the cockney dialogue between the characters - it was like 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' meets 'East Enders' mashed together like frog spawn and shepard's pie.

Back bloggin'

After two straight months of written journal work and grant application re-hashing - I am ready to get back into some hands on studio work. The outcome of my submission for the Career Development Grant through Arts Queensland shot me off onto another tangent to apply for the RADF program through my local council. Now that it has been printed, submitted, post marked and express mailed - I can finally crack on with making some new work. So in the little meantime, personal research via GoMA Brisbane charged my battery back up to almost-utter-fullness. The new featured show that opened on the 21st April, is described on the website as: ‘Contemporary Australia: Women’ — the second in the Gallery’s Contemporary Australia exhibition series — celebrates the diversity, energy and innovation of contemporary women artists working in this country today. So many of my have Australian artists have got a spot in this one! There are also a number of upcoming and mid-career artists that I reckon will make lasting impressions on people with their work. Hiromi Tango's X Chromosome makes direct reference to the double helix form as 'X' obviously indicates the female chromosome. Tango's three-dimensional installation is an amalgamation of colourful tentacles, patch worked faces and limbs bound tightly with yarn. The materials the artist has used allude to those typically associated with 'women's work' and you can stand under it. The interior space at the base of the structure seems womb like. In another way the tactility of the soft, rainbow surrounds is reminiscent of a childhood cubby house. I won't give too much more away, but with additional readings into the after effects of the recent flooding events in SE Queensland as well as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan last year - Tango's work stands as a seminal reminder of the importance of community, generosity and sharing our personal histories with each other.

See also the GoMA Cinematheque guide for the current exhibition program. Some of these flicks in many ways are underrated and still not as widely recognised in Australian households as they ought to be....at least not against the likes of the American rom-coms/comic book blockbusters etc. The program also aligns with the 'Contemporary Australia - Women' theme and the curatorial touch of Margaret Pomeranz seeks to uplift/celebrate the myriad of female characters portrayed in the films. But at the same time, audiences will be challenged which I think balances it out. Nonetheless Australian films have come a long way. Emotionally charged drama and obscure comedy dominate with force. Two of my absolute favourites are showing in the program - Lantana and Look Both Ways. Some of the other delectable flicks featured include: - Animal Kingdom - Samson and Delilah - Sweetie - The Home Song Stories - Muriel's Wedding - Looking for Alibrandi - Burning Man - see also Tracey Moffatt/Sarah Watt