Tapestries of Spent Being
These were some words that flowed out in a previous post about the loss of our very loved moggy, Kathmandu. As I continue on my journey of places as momento mori the idea of a ‘tapestry of spent being’ started as a continuation of prose, another way of saying something similar as I rolled the small loss of Puss around in my mouth with its metallic distaste and somber tang. I like these words, they feel like a visual precis and offer ideas for future thinking at the same time.
I wonder about the paper casting and paper drawing I am doing and how it relates as it feels intuitively as though it all relates I just haven’t connected the dots yet. I am trying to make networks of paper and this morning I tried out some silicone ice cube trays with drainage holes. They don’t look all that promising, as the water doesn’t seem to want to trickle through without constant prodding. My little paper lab out in the garage is getting messy and I am still frustrated by how slow it all is but I am getting quicker and learning to make the process more efficient by having a huge vat of soaking paper and I have bought more squeezy bottles so I can do more in quick succession.
This batch of recycled paper contained more compost heap bits and bobs but hopefully without it becoming too sludgy. I think I will try a really sludgy batch and then experiment with the bleach. I am avoiding thinking too much about how this will become ‘art’ but I am vaguely imagining them floating or possibly becoming vessels of some sort. Containment feels good to me, or equally floating happily on the breeze is good too, either end of the spectrum seem possible.
I enjoy the idea of a tapestry since my post right back at the beginning of the MA about the Bayeux Tapestry and my ongoing interest in Trace Narratives as continuous storytelling devices. The challenge I had felt around the continuous narratives were the artificially straight edges so these flaky, lacy, freeform paper fragments feel more helpful. How they are assembled will hopefully provide some sort of continuity and story. My Unit One feedback was around creating materials from my own compost heap, which I feel is going much better than expected. I haven’t found the charcoal as interesting as it basically resembles commercially available charcoal, but the paper casting is providing a world of opportunity.
In order to avoid the edges I do need to get larger foam, which is a problem as upholstery foam is weirdly expensive. It is probably thrown away in skip loads but to buy new (and clean) is harder than I had thought. I will either have to fork out or go and visit some furniture factories or similar.
Previous Paper Casting
With the warmer weather the explorations of the past few days mean the paper is dry enough to handle. The thread is good although the outcomes are still a bit basic. As with the past few attempts I am enjoying the craters more than the flat sheets and even though I am trying to avoid the edges I am still making square or round shapes rather than free form, which is what I had been wanting. I perhaps need some larger foam where I am less conscious of edges.
Freeform Paper Casting
I have been making these free form lines from paper pulp and peeling them off the discarded packaging felt. I had the idea that they would be drawings but they seem to want to be floating, which circles back to the idea of an installation or hanging I had been exploring some months ago. I had made notes about Val Britton’s work in a previous post and this seems to be fitting. I like how white and pretty they are (look at me just saying that and not caring what anyone thinks). The felt means the pulp is sticking more than the foam but the long strips of felt are better for longer lines and avoiding edges. I must perhaps make the pulp thicker and more robust although I wonder if that will compromise their floaty, fragile beauty.
