Beneath the Descendents of the Dragon-Pulp Redux

I've escaped, woohoo! Someone finally left the studio door open here at Wandering Heart Studio's and I've made it back to the outside world dear bloggers! Ahh but seriously, I have been absent for a bit haven't I? Life caught up here and a small break was the order of the day, but now it's back to creativity again. I thought I'd start with a peek at what I have been up to whilst confined to the studio, it's Lisa Jurist's fabulous Pulp Redux book- Roots beneath the Layers. I love this theme! Very Kim this one! Truthfully I had loads of ideas for this topic and really had trouble honing it down. Just when I had a very girly can't make up my mind moment, the creative energy did it's thing and one topic just launched its I must be heard at all costs thingy!


Welcome to...

'The Descendents of the Dragon.


Did you all hear that spooky laughing and thunder too, LOL!
(Halloween is close, mwahahahahaha).

But, back to the world of reality.

The descendents of the dragon is a term that the chinese people have used for centuries in reference to themselves. The theme of the piece however, is actually inspired by the culture of the Chinese people. China is home to the world's oldest continuous civilisation. Leaving all the facts and figures behind for a moment, I wondered when doing a little research about chinese customs and culture, in a civilisation as old as this one, there had obviously been many changes over the centuries. What had changed I wondered? What has been discarded over time and what has survived and still holds a place in the Chinese culture of today? And so to research. Now didn't that just keep rolling and rolling along. Suffice to say that I found so much information it became an overload. In order to present a piece within the confines of the book structure it was necessary to do a lot of whittling of ideas, honing the project down to something achievable both in terms of dimensions, and information size but also in obtaining the support items required to do justice to the ideals I was trying to present here. The piece for Lisa's book here reflects just a small part of what I have found. And so to the piece.

Here it is, it just needs to be slid onto the book posts.

But wait I hear you say what's this? There's something that resembles a book structure and some red bag thingy, what is going on?
We'll get back to the bag thingy a bit later, first to the pages for Lisa's book. A piece always needs a good introduction, something to capture your attention. Here it's a set of doors, (yes Kim has done doors again! I love them, so effective and dramatic!)
The doors here are based on designs found within the forbidden city. I love all the drama of those huge red doors!
Under the doors...

a bit of an explanation about the piece for the viewer.


Over the page and...

meet Long, the chinese dragon.
Chinese dragons are fequently depicted with a flaming pearl under their chin. The pearls is associated with prosperity, wealth and good luck.

The dragon here is made from layers of fabric paper to give it depth and dimension. The flame surrounding the pearl is made from strands of silk fibres. The background colour, looking quite washed out here from the camera (it is much richer in person) is traditionally the colour retained solely for the use of the Emperor under Chinese custom as is also the figure of the five toed dragon. The background fabrics are all satins on this page resulting in loads of trauma for both the camera and yours truly at picture taking time.


Opposite Long, the key book. The key book is the depository of the rest of the piece for Lisa's book. It is a collection of fabric quilts sewn together as a book structure. Each page highlights one particular aspect of chinese cultural beliefs. All are still relevent to chinese customs and practices today although they have undergone some significant changes over time. Each page of the book has been designed so that each colour and embellishment used here is symbollic of current beliefs and practices. They were chosen to reflect and highlight the main theme of each page. Although mostly of a fabric construction, any paper used in the book structure was sourced from China to reflect the importance of paper in Chinese cultural history but also to maintain the ideals of the books original theme. Each page also contains a piece of literature also chosen to reflect the theme of the page, even if that theme may be a little obscure by western standards. With the exception of the last page, each page has a piece or excerpt of poetry attached. Most of the poetry here is from the Tang dynasty and many of the pieces were written by the master of Tang poetry, Li Bai. Poetry is regarded as the pinnacle of Chinese literature and reached it's height under the Tang dynasty. It is still held as the foremost form of the art today. The last page differs in that the quote here is taken from what is regarded as one of the four classic novels of Chinese literature, but more on that later too. All the beads in the book are made from bone, lotus seeds, wood or gemstones, including freshwater pearls, coral, amethyst, agate, and lepidolite. The fabrics include, silks, satins, cottons, a few man made pieces and chinese silk brocades.

The key book free of it's confines.



Onto the book.

Here's the book as it appears tied into Lisa's book structure




I decided that it would take forever to post all the pics and describe the embellishments in detail so here's a little slide show instead.
(You can click on it to bring it up to full screen size if you like.)

Oh and about that bag at the top.
Well, like I said there is so much background detail attached to this piece I decided to make a scroll with all of that information on it to fill the viewer in on the details. The scroll is made from linen, paper and silk and when finished measured over 2 metres. As it is too large to fit comfortably within the structure I decide to make a matching silk bag to house the scroll. So now the book has a doggy baggy for all the extras, LOL!

This piece was such a pleasure to make and work in. It certainly presented some wonderful challenges too. (Photography was one of them, all that reflective shine from satin and silk!!!) It is quite different from most of the other work so I hope Lisa likes it. Now to package it all up and send it on it's way. Yay Alicia, watch this space! Now it's back to the studio and onto the next pulpy book that's been waiting for me. Oh dear, hopefully I can find my way out of the studio a little faster this time!

A Little Buried Treasure 2010

I'm back dear blog readers!
It has been a little while since I have said hello to you all. I have been away in the land of parties, hangovers and pain killers for a few weeks engaging in some much needed family fun time, only to return and find the wonderful Seth Apter has announced the return of Buried Treasure for 2010!



A fun must do event last year, I could not wait for the chance to jump right in and play again this year, although I do admit that last years blog cruising resulted in some much needed physio therapy for one's butt! However, not to worry , I have stocked up on pain relief, booked the husby for remedial butt therapy sessions and am fighting fit and ready to play once again!


But what to post?


After cruising back over the last years posts, there were a couple that were close to the heart for a number of reasons, but one remains for me a standout. There are certain art pieces that connect with us. Either as artists or viewers it doesn't matter the connection is undeniable. Some pieces just insist on being created. They nag at us and persist to be heard until the artist just gives in and allows that creative flow to occur. The post I have chosen to drag out of the vault is about one of those pieces for me. It's a little lengthy, so grab a cuppa and sit back, I hope you will stick it out to the end, it was a heck of a ride to create and I hope you enjoy it too!

A Photograph, some History, and a Book- Pulp Redux update

It began slowly...






I was intrigued by a photograph...

that led me to search...






where I discovered a map...













that caused me to think...







about a nations beliefs...

and then it began...





Time for a short history lesson.


I'll try to stay brief.


I have been watching with interest as libraries and museums around the world take up the opportunity to make a number of their historical photographs available to the public through a commons licence. (Fabulous effort to all and I applaude loudly at this generous effort by those who have taken it up. Thankyou for the material that has become available!) In browsing through the various photographs I became intrigued by pictures from the first world war, and in particular those relating to the Anzacs and their part in the Gallipoli campaign. Here's where the lesson kicks in.


For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story, Gallipoli in Turkey was the scene of a major catastrophe that resulted in a huge loss of life, for all participants on both sides of the divide during the first world war. For Australians and New Zealanders in particular it has reshaped our nations and united us with a bond that remains so strong it has never left us. Anzac is an acronym touted during the war that stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The word came to have such significance attached, and to represent such heroism that during the first world war when it was touted, the acronym was officially dropped and the word Anzac, was granted status as a word in its own right. On April 25th 1915, Great Britain and her troops from colonial India, Australia, New Zealand and her ally in France, attacked the Turkish coast first on the beaches of what is known to us as Anzac Cove and then around the rest of that headland. The next few months saw the cream of the nations men die in a futile attempt to take possession of a strip of land that would result in the deaths of thousands of men from both sides and that they would then withdraw from a few months later, resulting in a victory to the Ottoman empire. Almost 500,00 men from both sides lost their lives in a 9 month campaign.

It changed our nation.

Australians entered the war having implicit faith in the dominance of the British Empire, proud to be a part of that empire. We came out the other side, a nation altered, forged by war, really united together as Australians, for the first time. It has helped to shape our identity and it remains strong to this day.

Anzac day is a traditional holiday here. Thousands attend dawn services and line the streets to watch the marches of our veterans. The number of original Anzacs has dwindled with the passage of time to a few old men, but the places of those others who have passed away is held by their sons and grandsons who march for them, maintaining their place in the ranks of men. It is a touching sight. My own son has marched holding a placard inscribed with the name of a man who no longer lives or has any family to maintain his own place. In this way these men, and the sacrifices they made, are never forgotten.

And so the lesson ends.

I have wanted to do a piece representing the Anzacs for some time. It has been quietly smoldering away in the background, insisting on being heard as these things are sometimes want to do, but how to achieve that?

And then along came Fragments, Vestiges and Remains, my book in the Pulp Redux collaboration.

An opportunity to represent some small fragment of this time, these men and the reshaping of a nation.

And so, to the piece...

I cannot show you the before pictures or how the piece developed and was put together. I would like to, but was so caught up in it's creation that I forgot to take any photographs!

I can tell you that the background was constructed using gesso, acrylic paint washes, metallic waxes and walnut ink. I quite liked the patina it produces, it just took ages to dry!

The left side of the page is dominated by a map of the Dardanelles campaign. A reproduction curtesy of the Australian War Memorial.




While researching the campaign, I came across the papers of Pte. Francis William Edwards. Pte. Edwards joined the Australian Lighthorse in 1914 at the tender age of 22. After training, young Francis shipped out with his comrades to Egypt then onto Gallipoli. He lost his life there in May 1915.


Under the map, a glimpse of a life lived.






The piece is representational of the lives of the men who fought in this campaign.

I have constructed a niche in the book pages and gathered some possessions to represent the life of a soldier.
What remains of his belongings, and a life lived.

Included here are copies of some of the papers of Pte. Edwards, pictures of some of the Anzacs, and some items which would have been typical of a mans belongings at this time. I could not however in my research find any photograph of Pte. Edwards himself. ( Many thanks to Australian War Memorial for their photographs which are reproduced here under a commons licence).

I have also reproduced a diary and included excerpts from diaries kept by some of the original Anzac soldiers. Just a few that pertain to the events portrayed here.



The page as it looks under the map.

A reminder of those lives lost on the opposite page.

This page contains a dedication to those men who died in this campaign.

A series of doors and windows.






A closer view...






The words spoken so eloquently then, resound just as poignantly today.

The words are not my own but reproduced from a newspaper article of the time in 1917 (I think!!!). I don't have the original paper it came from. With the rise of the popularity of the term Anzac came a profusion of businesses trying to trade in on the sentiments of the nation. Anyone and everyone tried to cash in, until eventually the government of the times stepped in and prevented anyone from using the word without licence to do so. Hence the loss of the acronym and the infusion of the word Anzac into our national heritage.


And then there's the ode...

The ode is recited at every official Anzac day memorial service held today.




Opposite the ode, a fragment of a letter, chosen to represent those thousands of letters sent from home to the boys at the front.

And then...


The remains of our flag, tattered and torn...





representing the vestiges of the nations beliefs...




reborn and reshaped...





into something far stronger.





And a picture is chosen...




of a young soldier...





to represent thousands of others, long since gone.

I could not resist this boys eyes in the photograph.
An unknown Australian soldier.
He too lost his life. He could be Francis.

At least he can be, here.

(Picture courtesy of the Australian War Memorial and reproduced here under a commons licence).


And so the end of a very long post. Hope you weren't bored.

So now the book will be winging its way accross oceans to Alicia and the then the rest of the girls, with a little suprise inside! I can't wait to see what they all do in the book. Of course their input will be completely different as I have not set any topic for this book but want it to reflect each artists individual take on the theme. I have reserved the last section of the book for something else by myself but you will have to wait for those fragments until it wings its way back home again at a later date.

And there you have fellow blog readers, the end.

I hope you all enjoyed the story, even though it was a long one. Thank you to Seth for another chance to retell the story of the piece. The Pulp Redux collaboration still continues and you can continue to follow the progress of everyones books there. Pop in we'ld love to see you there!

Oh and by the way, I know the name of a fabulous butt therapist if you need one, LOL!

Postcards from the Heart

Have I left you all in suspense for long enough?

It's probably time to put you all out of your misery and let you all in what has been going on in the studio for the last few months!

As many of you know I have been buried deep in the Pulp Redux collaboration and am really enjoying it too, but what I haven't let out before is that I am also involved in another collaboration with the gorgeous Caterina from La Dolce Vita.

When Caterina and myself decided to embark on a collaboration together I had all the usual ideas but somehow it wasn't working for me. I just wasn't satisfied with how things were shaping up in an already existing book structure so decided to make my own.

Introducing...

Postcards from the Heart.

The book is constructed entirely from fabrics, many hand dyed along with the embellishments.

The story is set in the late 1800's and finds our heroine about to undertake a tour of the continent, something reasonably common amongst the well to do families of the time. The story is told through a series of fabric constructed postcards sent by our heroine back to her friend in England. The pictures on the postcards are actual photographs of various european cities taken during the late 1800's and transferred onto the fabric. The reverse or postcard side of the cards is also achieved using transfers and are also photographs of actual period postcard documents. Each postcard sits inside a pocket on the page and is an interactive element.

The pages themselves reflect the nature of the postcards they contain, contributing to the overall theme and feel for the story.

Of course the story remains unfinished until Caterina adds her own piece to the whole so you will only be able to view the goings on so far as I have done them. There are a number of pieces of prose throughout the book contributing to our knowledge of our heroine for whom you never find out a name. She signs everything only with an 'A'.

To bring you to a starting place I will give you this piece which is included in the first page of the book. The words by James Kavanaugh provided me with a wonderful starting point for the story.

Some people do not have to search - they find their niche early in life and rest there, seemingly contented and resigned. They do not seem to ask much of life, sometimes they do not seem to take it seriously. At times I envy them, but usually I do not understand them - seldom do they understand me. I am one of the searchers. There are, I believe, millions of us. We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content. We continue to explore life, hoping to uncover its ultimate secret. We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand. We like to walk along the beach - we are drawn by the ocean, taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery and unspeakable beauty. We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well. Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter. To share our sadness with the one we love is perhaps as great a joy as we can know - unless it is to share our laughter. We searchers are ambitious only for life itself, for everything beautiful it can provide. Most of all we want to love and be loved. We want to live in a relationship that will not impede our wandering, nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls. We do not want to prove ourselves to another or compete for love. We are wanderers, dreamers and lovers, lonely souls who dare ask of life everything good and beautiful. - - James Kavanaugh

So would you like to take a peek at the book now?

Enjoy the slideshow!

(You can click to bring it up full screen size)

I can't wait to see what Caterina does with the storyline, or what happens to our girl. The photographs used in the book are all curtesy of the Commons project and available to the public under a commons licence through Flickr. Many thanks to all those institutions for their continued support of a wonderful resource.

From the Heart

Something is going on in the studio.






There seems to be lots of this...

and a little of that...

and one of these could come in handy too...

which leads to this...

resulting in...





problems

with





ones heart.

I'll fill you all in soon.

Journal Update

Phew doesn't time run away when your busy. Working crazy hours at the moment, and spending time in the garden now that the weather has retreated to something under boiling point yay! Winter is finally around the corner here and I am so happy! I love our winters here. They're probably more like everyone else's springs, warm days and cool nights, perfection! Hooray for the ability to finally wear jeans again without collapsing into a squishy, perpspiration drenched heap!

But fear not bloggers, I have been arting away quietly, well somewhat noisily really! I've been buried in the studio trying to catch up a bit as well as enjoying lots of new music I've just downloaded and getting lost in projects! It has been a fabulous battery recharging time and has resulted in a huge increase in creative energy again! So, I thought I'd give you the rest of the journal making pics today so you could se how it turned out. Here's the inside back cover.




Yes time to go back to reality again, thanks for playing!


The back cover.

and here it is all finished and sewn together.

This was so much fun to do. Thanks to Teesha for all the inspiration, it's been a blast, in fact it has been so much fun I may just keep doing some more journal pages in this style for a while!

Journal Experiments

I've been flat out buried in various projects, family staying on holidays with us, then a virus and have only now realised how long it has been since I have posted on the blog. Doesn't time just wizz away when life gets busy! After being ill for a few weeks the creative mojo was barely able to be scraped up to lie around the house with me. Lots of ideas spinning around in there and zero energy to do anything about it! However I did manage to drag my journalling bits out to the couch and the mojo and I spent some time in the prone position playing with our journal and watching a few movies (in between bouts of virus wrestling)! I'm always spinning ideas around in my head and after accumulating a pile of loose but completed pages realised they needed some sort of home, so decided to create a book binding to put them all into. I know I should have made the book first, but I was flat out holding a piece of paper let alone a book when the virus frst attacked and so everything sorta ended up being done backwards.
I've long been a fan of Teesha Moore's fabulous journal work, so decided to take a leaf or ten from her style to create the covers. I had loads of fabric lying around (I'm in the middle of a fab project with that but we'll talk about that another time) so decided to create fabric covers for the book. I've painted and collaged directly onto raw calico to construct the covers then doodled to my hearts content in between movies, virus wrestling and sleep and am quite happy with the end result.

The outer front cover.




and the inner front cover.

Yes, leave your reality elsewhere and welcome to my world!

I have placed heavy cardboard between the fabric layers before sewing them together to form the front cover and the whole works well. The calico becomes quite stiff after numerous layers of paints, collage and inks, but flexible enough to sew with ease.

Anyway that's the front covers done, I'll show you how it all works out when I finish sewing the rest together.