Tiny paper shoe 'footnotes'

http://dstitch.blogspot.co.uk

I have been on the Developing practice for makers through museum collections course at City Lit. London for the past year. It has been really great and I've enjoyed gaining a new perspective on my own way of working.
The first few months were difficult as we had to choose a collection or museum we might imagine our work being displayed in. Paralysed by the variety of choice I floundered a bit but heard about "Inspired by" -a competition organised by Morley Gallery in conjunction with The V&A.  The brief was to make something in response to an item in the collection of either the V&A or the Museum of Childhood.  Narrowing the focus was key for me. There was still an immense number of exhibits to choose from so 
after a few visits I took to looking at the online catalogue. This was really helpful and I probably looked at the objects much closer and  for longer than I would have in the museum where the volume of objects is overwhelming.

Eventually I settled a small layette pincushion from the C18th.
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O202828/layette-pincushion-unknown/
I was fascinated to learn that straight pins would have been used to fasten clothing of even the smallest baby because safety pins were not invented until 1860. The gift of a pincushion would be given after the birth as it was believed that to receive it before would mean more pain in labour. I found that pins they were also thought to be protective and were hidden in a child’s clothing to ward off evil. This protective aspect of the pin made me think of the fears we have for our children not only when they are infants but into adulthood. I chose to use a found item of clothing and placed more than 5000 pins in the lining as little amulets of protection. The tiny jacket becomes a coat of armour but also suggests the dangers and damage caused by over protection.

I find the history of the humble pin fascinating and there is much more to explore ..

Months and months behind on the things to share on the blog… I start drafts  but there is never enough hours in the day.. and then I can't remember what I wanted to say. 
Went and saw this earlier in the year.It was very interesting and thought provoking. Ias disturbed by the child sized uniforms (perfectly to scale) but still couldn't imagine who would want their child to have one. 

There was a wall you could post your thoughts on war.. there were very few cards but this one stood out. From years of reading wonky spelling I guess it says 'no-one cares'.

"Metal point,  descendant of the stylus of classical times and ancestor of the modern pencil, a small, sharpened metal rod used for drawing precise compositions on paper or parchment. The metal could be lead, silver, copper, or gold, but silverpoint was the most common choice because it is the most suited to permanent drawing, its stroke adhering unerasably. The silverpoint was of great value in producing the hard, clearly defined line required, for instance, by miniaturists; modelling, emphasis, and light phenomena, however, had to be rendered either by means of repetitions, dense hatching, or blanks or else supplemented by other mediums." — Encyclopaedia Britannica (online), 1996.  

The silverpoint drawing ground creates a slightly rough surface onto which the metal particles rub off . The wire can be of  different metals but I tried silver which was relatively inexpensive. I also bought a wire holder (right) a sort of pin vice.

The ground is the consistency of thin cream.. I was impatient to get going so grabbed some scrap paper giving it two coats .. although three would have been better.

I found the holder heavy, a bit cumbersome and uncomfortable to draw with.

As the wire is 0.5 mm and the same size as a pencil lead it easily loaded into mechanical pencil. 

The metal point performed slightly differently to lead- it felt grittier but produced softer lines. It didn't really erase well but marks didn't smudge either.It took several layers to get darker tones. Apparently the silver tarnishes over time to a warm brown. I was pleased with the results considering it was a quick sketch on scrap paper.. Definitely something else I shall be experimenting with in the near future. 
There is a great website with a lot of useful info here.

In March I contributed to a limited edition book for the ARTBOOKART fair at Hofs (Hadleigh Old Fire Station) in March.  Each ABA artist made 2 pages and then the pages were bound together. 
You can see more about the project here.

I played with  various ideas for a while.. but oh what to do, what to do?
Mapped some ideas and was  drawn to the idea of blank pages… began thinking about the way 'this page is intentionally blank" is written on the pages of a legal document or exam papers but then is no longer so.  Explored a few more ideas but came back to using the map itself as a way of plotting the thought process behind it.

finished page

The each of my second pages are individual. They are made from sections cut from the 'blank page' maps, texts and book pages I am currently using in other work .. they kind of represent the pinging back and forward between projects- a sort of physical mind mapping.

A new book by Caroline Mornement features the work of  more than 70 British artists' book makers and small fine presses.

This has been sitting in the drafts file for a looong time (along with another 14 posts!! all waiting for the words ).. Should I just delete? Maybe- but it is good to have everything here should I need  to find it one day.. 

In 2012 Camberwell MA Book Arts were invited to take our degree show to Kiev for the Second International Book Festival Arsenal. It was  quite an honour - just wish I could have accompanied it.

Maya Ohashi

Margaret Cooter

JingYao

Karen Apps

Attended Anna Dumitriu’s workshop at the Wellcome collection in June 2013 which ran in conjunction with  Souzou: Outsider Art from Japan.


Described as an opportunity to .." create your own textile-based artworks and learn more about the issues raised in the exhibition, like mental health, autism and learning disabilities, as well as the notion of 'outsider'. Explore ideas about occupational therapy, creativity, language and the 'flow state', and how the availability of materials affects the making process. Work hands-on with a range of materials and learn simple techniques such as appliqué, needle felting and embroidery, as well as ways of working with recycled or found materials."

Flow for me is that state of mind when I am completely absorbed in what I'm doing and time seems to stand still. All focus is on the activity and nothing else. There is an explanation about flow here.. 

After a short talk and slide show we were let loose amongst an array of fabric, yarn, wool, papers and thread. My anxiety  level immediately rose.. What should I make? What material should I choose? How should it look?  Too much thinking not enough doing.
After  a few false starts I settled for a piece of knitted fabric and some wool roving. Once I stopped trying to make a 'something' and just got on with it the process took over and the outcome mattered less.
The result was these ugly little handfuls which are surprisingly tactile and fit the palm of hand comfortably.  Each was made from one  piece of fabric folded or twisted in on itself  and the edges stitched into place. Not sure I will take them further but it's a possibility. It was a relaxing way to wile away the time.

June 2013