CrumpArt » Universe

Lace Galaxies.

May 7th, 2008 by Crumpet

Part of my project this semester involves spinning yarn and knitting it into lace circles based on Elizabeth Zimmermann’s pi shawl pattern. To put it in the vaguest terms possible, it’s a scienc-y, mathematical meditation-y mandala thing — a reflection on creation and the clash of scepticism and belief. I’ll be printing on each piece of knitting repeatedly to build up colour, and will also try printing with them on my paper works. Next semester they’ll be ripped out and made into something new, playing into my destruction/creation theme.

I started with a bag of wool that I already had, but it hadn’t been carded and was just too lumpy and uneven for what I wanted. I could have hand-carded it, but the thought of processing 500g of fibre that way made me want to cry real tears. Instead, I paid a visit to the Yarn Barn in Coburg to see what they had, and came out with 700g of processed superwash merino that had already been pre-drafted and wound onto a cone. Freaking score!

It still took me a few skeins to get my tension right for the project I have in mind next semester, but I’m still using the first efforts this time around, and will use them for a different piece later.

Here’s what the singles needed to look like…

And here they are plied.

And posing with Neil Gaiman’s signature in my sketchbook (yep, definitely fangirl.)

I’m really quite disgustingly proud of my spinning job. It took at least two full days to spin the singles, and another half day of plying just for two skeins. The knitting feels like flying in comparison.

Posted in Geekery, Universe, Spinning, Art, Knitting | | 2 Comments

Well, here we are on the raggedy edge.

April 20th, 2008 by Crumpet

Remember my handmade paper from not too long ago?

Back at the beginning of the semester, I was formulating a proposal for work that explores themes of creation, both in the realm of “creation” of the universe, and creation as an artist. I am interested in making art that reflects my world view — that human life is a chance occurrence in this incredible amazing universe. That certain elements, or building blocks, exist as the base of this universe, and it’s their chance interaction that causes change and growth through the process of evolution.

I’m not just interested in the science, though. I’m interested in why people believe what they do, and the stories and myths that we create in order to explain and give meaning to our lives.

This is the start of my project. I’ve been constantly amused and slightly annoyed when people see my paper and ask what images I’m going to print on it. To me, art is not necessarily about creating an image to represent something. It’s not about the end result so much as the journey. I didn’t make paper so that I could make a picture; I made paper (from offcut ragpaper and my old lithographs) because it’s one of the ways to represent evolution in my work. Creation from destruction. Renewal.

The paper has been printed on now. Both sides (because there are two sides to every story). I took 224 photographs of books on evolution, science, cosmology, myth, religion and fairytales, then used solvent transfer to get those images onto my paper. A photograph implies truth, and as a result it’s one of the best mediums to use in order to manipulate your audience. We also assume that books classified as non-fiction will tell us the truth, yet many different arguments on the same topic can be found on one shelf. Now they can be found on the same wall.

As you can see, there is some information missing.

There’s a whole side of the work that you can’t see in this setup. And one of my pages is currently missing — very annoying, especially when I would have filled the whole wall up perfectly otherwise!

The work isn’t going to stay like this though, it’s just another stage in the process. Here is how I set it up for my critique on Thursday.

I was really pleased with the outcome, and while it’s not finished at this stage in terms of my proposal, it is something that I’m interested in recreating down the track (although it could be logistically very difficult in terms of setting up anywhere outside of university for an extended period of time…)

From here, I’m going to glue several pages together and print on them with some of the etching/lino/woodblock plates I made last year, and I’m also going to carve some new lino for printing.

From there, I plan to shred the lot, weave it all back together and print over the top one last time. It may not work out how I expect it to, but really, that’s half the fun.

Posted in Books, Universe, Art | | 2 Comments

“It’s a great fairytale, but it’s not good science.”

March 25th, 2008 by Crumpet

(Just to counter the comment Mr C made last night that I sounded “like a religious nutjob” yesterday… my point was to be the opposite of a religious nutjob. Although the fact that I know religious words at all would make him think I sound like a nutjob… )

Posted in Universe | | 0 Comments

Revelations.

March 24th, 2008 by Crumpet

When I was a kid, I always wondered why Easter changed dates. I knew it was something to do with some sort of old Biblical calendar, because I saw my parents referencing it for calculations, but I never thought to discover why. Now that I’m studying the relationship between myth, religion, creation, astronomy, cosmology and science for my artwork, of course I wanted to figure out the answer.

Yesterday morning, Easter Sunday, I woke up early and set out to do some sewing. This involved cleaning up my studio, and as I was taking the rubbish to the bin outside, I saw the moon still hanging in the sky, its pale reflection of the suns light looking beautiful against the clear blue, and it hit me. Easter is a lunar festival.

My parents came to visit for dinner, and I mentioned the morning moon to my dad, and he confirmed that there is a full moon each Easter. I’ve done a little research and found that the religious calendar of predicted full moons that Easter dates are calculated from was timed to the Jewish Passover, which in turn was based on a lunar calendar. Makes sense, considering that the stories tell of Jesus celebrating Passover before he is executed.

It all makes me wonder what kind of astronomical cycles happened in Jesus’ time, especially as he was executed. The stories of Good Friday talk of a darkness coming over the land as Jesus died. An eclipse, perhaps? Or maybe just a large storm? The appearance of the full moon in the sky three days later, especially if storm clouds had been obscuring the sky, could be seen as Jesus rising to the heavens (as the moon appears to rise from the horizon at night to us). The Eucharistic bread that Christians receive as “Jesus’ body” certainly resembles the full moon, and with a long history of the body symbolised by the circle, a glowing circle of light in the darkness could of course be seen as godly and mystical.

And what does all that have to do with rabbits?

The myth of the Rabbit and the Moon. There’s a shadow on the moon that many cultures see as a rabbit or hare making food. Myth tells us that through his kindness, the rabbit sacrificed himself as a meal to an old man. The old man turned out to be the moon god, and he repaid the rabbit by placing him in the full moon forever. (I’d post the animation I’ve made of this story here, except I’m not ready to share it online yet — I want to enter it into some festivals and stuff first…)

Again, the symbol of the moon as a resurrection device. And that is why the Easter Bunny brings us eggs… a symbol of new life and sustenance that, in retrospect, look kind of like the moon.

Posted in Freaky Coincidences, Universe, Animation, photography, Art, Random | | 0 Comments

Reincarnation

March 19th, 2008 by Crumpet

Old prints on the road to becoming new paper. It’s a creation/destruction/renewal theory of life thing.

Posted in Universe, General crafts, Art | | 0 Comments

XKCD. The perfect webcomic.

March 13th, 2008 by Crumpet

Morning

Posted in Universe | | 1 Comments

A proposition.

March 13th, 2008 by Crumpet

I’m into the second week of school now. The first draft of my proposal for the semester is due today, and as difficult as writing one of these suckers is, I find it to be a really useful tool. I’ve had all these thoughts and ideas floating around in my head for months, but haven’t necessarily been able to connect them to one another or really understand why I’m interested in looking at certain things.

I’m on a pretty clear path with my work now, and I’m really excited about it. Now I have to avoid getting too caught up in the research instead of starting the actual work… always a challenge!