Privacy | Newsletters | Sitemap
| Fiberworks | Individual Artists | Ethos & History | Membership | Galleries | Contact Us |
Dear ALL
Mandy Shindler is our guest speaker. Her topic is how to keep accurate records of your art work by photographing and documenting them. Achievements and news of Members: Cathy Knox Don't let go for a better grip, they say. But letting go of my life in Bedford (Eastern Cape midlands) earlier this year has freed me up to reinvent myself and my practice. My new environment (Underberg, Southern Drakensberg) has already invaded my imagery. Admittedly, I am back on home ground: I grew up and was home schooled on the edge of an indigenous forest near Impendlhe (KZN Midlands). But although the high drama of landscape and weather in these fabulous mountains feels like home, the graphic quietude of the Karoo and its merciless droughts will linger in my soul. Relocation is fundamentally disruptive (even with the unequivocal support of family) but for me it has been positive. I didn't stuff all that studio stuff into boxes, but, instead, chose the refresh button, sifting through everything, foregrounding forgotten ideas and resources and sweeping others away. Making space for space (and oxygen) has made me feel enabled; free to fly. And so grateful. LOCAL SEWISTES There is at least one potential Fibreworks member here - the awesome Jenny Retief. Her stitches (and her work) are outsize, courageous and engaged. On the traditional side, we have a strong quilt group and a developing network of stitchers down the 'berg' as far as Maclear -- all keen to have a go at art quilting. Thanks for this update, Cathy! Perhaps now we will be able to see more of you. AGM 22 October: At the AGM on the 22 October, we had a Zoom session, in addition to the regular Face to Face meeting and we discussed the possible meanings of the well known quote by Leonard Cohen: Ring the bells that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering, There is a crack in everything, That's how the light gets in. A lively discussion ensued and a number of people brought their ideas forward to share with the group. Good! I did ask people to send through their comments or anything that they remembered from the chat that particularly resonated with them. Only Sheila and Helga came forth with their notes. Thanks you Sheila and Helga. Here below are their comments, together with mine: Sheila Walwyn:
Helga Beaumont: Wabi Sabi is the celebration of imperfection: In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. Kintsugi is 'the beauty of imperfections'. Kintsugi means 'golden joinery', also known as Kintsukuroi 'golden repair', is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum, a method similar to the Kincuve - Japanese art of filling cracks with gold to enhance its value. What is the philosophy of Kintsugi? Kintsugi teaches us that even though things may be damaged, they are still valuable and have meaning. When something doesn't work, rethink it, rework it until it works. Embrace the imperfections while solving the problem. The crack can be an illumination, i.e. leading you to think in a new way. These concepts also value hand work as opposed to machine. Thanks for these insightful observations, Sheila and Helga! Since you are talking about Japanese ideas, perhaps a few words on Sashiko are appropriate here, and you are all probably familiar with the term. Sashiko is a form of decorative reinforcement stitching or functional embroidery. It is traditionally used to reinforce points of wear, or to repair worn places or tears with patches. I think I need to sashiko some of my favourite old clothes this holiday! Can sashiko also be a verb? Jeanette Gilks Cracks can be a source of light and illumination. Think of cracks in the clouds at dawn and cracking a puzzle! 2020 saw the crack of Covid when the world was wrenched apart and we could not see or be with our friends. And we suffered in losing our sense of Touch. Anyone working online during lockdown had to reach out and either ask or give help to others. I imagine many pre-Covid acquaintances have become post-Covid lifelong friends. We can move forward if we choose, or we are forced to bridge a chasm. Adversity is very unpleasant but it can teach us new strategies and encourage us to be daring and innovative. I think too of recent volcanic eruptions. The crack in the earth's crust is the site of pain, death, violence and destruction, but it's also the site of spectacular beauty and the ground around a volcano later develops into some of the most fertile soils on earth. Bells are rich in associations and they proclaim both beginnings and endings. We are asked to ring the bells that still can ring, and as bells symbolize joy and optimism, we are invited to Do the Work with what we still have, while we still have it, and with a glad heart, be it only for a few years, or with limited materials or resources. It's a call to Action and to seize the present moment - indeed the present is the only place we can act - and to refrain from regrets and oppressive nostalgia which are creative dead-ends. Interestingly, bell ringing is a skill that depends on watching and listening carefully. Think of the times we watch and listen carefully to our own work, being guided by where it wishes to take us. Finally, I think this line, ring the bells that still can ring, also alludes to the idea that bells also announce death, be it our death or the transience of everything we make. I think of the concept of Wabi Sabi fits well here, but I am also reminded of the poem by John Donne, For Whom the Bell Tolls. There is no perfect offering here on earth. Only our very worthy struggle through all the cracks we encounter on our life's journey, should we be willing to rise to the challenge. May everyone have a productive New Year in 2023. Jeanette |