Experiencing Liberty and Anarchy (Studio 3)

Studio 3, Leeds Art Gallery (Nike Savvas) & David Shearing


In February 2013 the Studio 3 group met with myself (David Shearing), the artist collaborating with Leeds Art Gallery to begin our project on light, colour and to explore ideas surrounding notions of ‘painting into space’. We met at Leeds Art Gallery to experience the Nike Savvas exhibition Liberty and Anarchy (2012), the title of a new work installed into one of the main gallery spaces.

Savvas appears to be posing a number of questions with this new work, not just about our visual sense but the way in which she draws attention to body in the perception of the work. Savvas also proposes a dilemma with the title of the piece, which the group felt was rather baffling! For Savvas her work is expressing a deeper socio-political anxiety, a tension and conflict that translate into a multisensory conflict within the artwork. 

The group were offered a guided tour of Liberty and Anarchy by Amanda our host and Project C-oordinator. We were briefed before entering with a series of warnings as to how the work might make us feel, and to prepare us for a dizzying and possibly nauseating experience.

We split into two groups, so not to overcrowd the piece and moved through the work until we reached the end. What was striking for the group was how movement becomes a key aspect in experiencing the work; as we walked through, the rather simple plastic forms began to flicker causing the work to moiré. In physics, a moiré is an optical effect when two line grids are overlaid creating a short optical rupture as the lines or colours are brought into conflict. The group was clearly moved after this experience with some reflecting on the disorienting feeling and how it affected their balance. Parallels were drawn between the flicking light patterns and some of the film and animation works the group have been working on previously.

After experiencing this work, we then had time to explore some of the other objects and yarn based pieces by Savvas - this also offered us further insights into creating spatial forms.

Movement, light, reflection and painting into space will be the main starting point for the group explorations in the coming few weeks.  I'm excited to see how the group develop some of the simple materials into their own creations.

  

David Shearing

Photos by Hayley Mason

OPEN DOOR - Textile Tales – Session 4

In today’s session Bryony introduced the group to a new technique - working with wax crayon shavings and waxwrap paper. A simple technique but very effective!

Participants took shavings of coloured wax crayons and arranged them in groups - vibrant reds, oranges, blues & greens, yellow & pretty pinks .

They drew different shaped leaves on the wax paper and began to sprinkle the colourful shavings to create fusion of colours.  Some participants were so precise with the colours they chose and the way the layered the shavings - almost wanting a perfect end result,  whilst others mixed colours like you would mix the different spices in a hot curry and sprinkled them over their wax paper to watch the colours blend together.

Sparkling sequins, beautiful braiding and tailored threads were used with the wax shavings and put under a hot iron - we watched the wax melt and colours blend into one another to create beautiful effects.



A wonderful session with happy participants!! Looking forward to felt making next week.

A THOUSAND PAPER CRANES

Session 7

This week we started on silk painting. I can’t believe it, we have got a full house again. Ten participants, two staff members and Rozi and me. I’m beginning to worry whether I’ve got enough ready cut silk pieces, palettes, brushes, gutta …. Every table in the big dining room is full. I am talking to myself: “we will need three sessions for painting silk scarves, as they are too long, and we haven’t got enough table room!” …

Soon designs were outlined with gutta, a paste that prevents silk paint spreading across the smooth fabric, but it is also very easy to smudge. After this, the outlined shapes were carefully painted, everybody was really pleased with them. We plan to assemble them into a hanging. I can see it right now, a beautiful, vibrant hanging, brightening the dining room. We will certainly have made our mark.

 

Charlie the cat proudly showing his ginger stripes, next to the beautifully painted flower.

Most people found silk painting very relaxing. The trickiest part was applying gutta, but once that is on the rest is plain sailing.

An interesting discussion took place.

“This illness is very perfectionist. I am surprised. I nearly didn’t come today because I didn’t enjoy the stencilling. It’s too precise. There was a lot of careful cutting and prep work required, and then a disappointment when the result wasn’t what I’d expected. I found it stressful. With the silk painting, it is easier to relax and just enjoy experimenting with the painting. There’s no pressure for creating an end result. This has been a great technique for relaxing”.

“The rest of our treatment is very precise, and there is always a reason or end goal to everything. It’s great to have some time away from all that. It’s a good contrast.”

 

Coming home I immediately counted how many scarves I had, as it takes up to a week to get them from the suppliers, and I’ve bought more black and silver gutta, the most popular colours. So the materials are ready, roll on next Thursday!

OPEN DOOR - Textile Tales – Session 3

There was a lovely calm and gentle mood today as the group drifted in and eagerly took up their sewing from last week. We continued to embroider our leaves for our collaborative family tree with different threads; chunky, furry, metallic. The textures of hessian, felt, paper and tinsel have made this a really tactile artwork, with lots of depth and personal history.

Some fabulous ornamental needlework emerged from our participants – we rediscovered many decorative stitches we hadn’t done in years: chain, blanket, catch, single feather, french knot, herring bone. We reminisced the last time we had embroidered this way; a blanket for a baby granddaughter, a tablecloth for a dining room table, a bed quilt for a first marital home.

Some of us took to drawing onto our leaves or sticking beads and sequins onto them. The effect was fantastic and everybody was really proud of their work and marvelled at the skills amongst the group.

We had a birthday girl in the group today - it was Dalip’s 65^th birthday! She had kindly brought in a scrumptious carrot cake, which we shared around the group as we all sang Happy Birthday!

Then we revisited our story boxes, which we had decorated on our first week in the project. This time, we made something to go inside them and pop up as a surprise. We each created a miniature forest of bright rainbow leaves and layered trees inspired by miniature dioramas, which we will be exploring in the coming weeks. These boxes will be used for gathering our own stories during this project.

We used a simple pop up template as we got our heads around the challenges of working in 3D! We'll be finishing these next week and learning a new skill together - feltmaking.

Bryony

A Thousand Paper Cranes

Session 6

The final stencilling session was spent making cards and finishing off bags. Now that we have perfected the technique it was easy to make cards for mother’s day and to embellish beautifully all those shopping bags. I can just hear people asking – “Where did you buy such a nice bag?” and of astonishment when they hear the answer – “Well, actually, I made it…”

You can see below how the same stencil can produce two different effects.

Next week we’ve decided to do tile painting and start on the samplers for silk painting, which will then be assembled as a communal art work.

Quote of the week – “This is so different to what I usually do,

I don’t do random…” upon which I heard myself saying“random is good….”

And finally after so much gloom on the weather front, a ray of sunshine, thank you, your work must have teased it out!

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

OPEN DOOR - Textile Tales – Session 2

Today we asked the group to bring in a precious object and share their stories with everyone. Every object had a beautiful story. One participant spoke about a gold chain which was given to her by her mother, a necklace which is worn at all times, bringing her peace and tranquillity.  Another participant spoke about a precious scarf received from a close friend who is no longer with us, she holds onto her memories wearing this scarf.

As the stories developed, each participant went onto looking at their family tree going back three generations as well as forward into three generations. Many of the participants have grand children, as well as great grandchildren. We started to map this out onto paper.  This task certainly evoked some good memories for the participants!

We then began to decorate our family trees with leaves made from felt, hessian and threads.

Everyone's family tree was added onto the large tree, with each branch representing our different families.  Participants will continue next week with decorating the tree!

A Thousand Paper Cranes

SESSION 5

We are back in the big dining room and people are coming in with tie dyed bags ready to cut stencils.

I am worried that some of the designs chosen are really fiddly and difficult to cut out!
Yet again I am proven wrong as even the smallest and most complicated designs are cut out with amazing skills and speed!
In no time Rozi is showing everybody how to use more than one colour on the same stencil, and before I can blink, bags are spread flat and stencilled again and again!
The sponges we are using for stencilling give beautiful subtle texture.

Tie dyed and stencilled bag

 

Rozi stencilling with the sponge

              

What day is it? VALENTINE’S DAY!!!

 

So, A THOUSAND STENCILLED HEARTS!!!!!

Rozi is showing off Alison’s beautiful silk painted scarf, and conjuring Milena out of it! Bernadette is showing her stencil designs and underneath are essential items for walking on the wild side!

 

These are some of the things people said during the session:

‘The people that I’m making these (cards) for will be really impressed as they know I’m not creative’

‘I’m at my happiest when I’m messy’

‘Doing this helps me feel like myself again’

Sylvie – ‘The atmosphere is very vibrant. This is a good group’