A Tree in the Wood by Giuseppe Penone at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

The current exhibition in the Underground Gallery at Yorkshire Sculpture Park is A Tree in the Wood by Giuseppe Penone. The exhibition features works drawn from the past five decades of Penone’s career. 

Central to Perone's practice is humanity's relationship with the natural world, and his work addresses themes around the body, nature, time, touch and memory. Perone makes use of a variety of natural materials including stone, acacia thorns and laurel leaves. An ongoing motif throughout his work is the importance of trees to society.

 

One suggestion of this is through Matrice, which consists of a 30 metre long bisected trunk of a fir tree that has been laid horizontally and carefully carved to follow one of its growth rings. The trunk cuts through the separate rooms within the gallery so as to emphasise the shear size of the object and to reflect the way that the tree itself has been sliced and examined.

On the far wall in the final gallery space the artist has drawn around his finger and continued the lines off the paper and onto the gallery walls. Again, this references the growth rings on the tree.

 

Introducing Spoken Word Artist William Beale - fellow participant in the Banff Spoken Word Programme

WILLIAM BEALE is an Australian spoken word poet whose work has been called “a boy howling his way into the world, despite all its muzzles.” Author and composer of debut poetry collection and album, THEY CALL US LOUD (Perfect Binding Press), William represented Victoria as one of the top 15 Australian poets of 2016 at the Australian Poetry Slam in the Sydney Opera House.

Former Creative Producer of Melbourne’s Slamalamadingdong, Co-founder of Malaysia’s If Walls Could Talk, winner of the 10th BOH Cameronian Awards for Best Book & Lyrics, and a handful of Australasian slam cups. William shares and creates stages around Asia Pacific, pursuing performance art, coaching high school slams, organising poetry events and doing the word things.

Rhythm in Research by Rachel Duckhouse

Rachel Duckhouse is a Glasgow based artist working in a range of media including drawing and printmaking. The complex patterns and systems in nature, human behaviour and the built environment form the basis of her practice.

She makes responsive, research based work that reveals hidden patterns in specific contexts. She uses the physical processes of drawing and printmaking to investigate relationships and flows of energy within real or imagined spaces and situations.



‘Rhythm in Research’ presents screenprints, etchings, lithographs and drawings created in response to several artist residencies and self-directed research projects she’s recently undertaken in Scotland and Canada.



As artist in residence for Watershed+ in Calgary, she worked with City of Calgary water engineers to research and develop a series of drawings and prints describing the complex flows of the Bow River through city infrastructure.



As Associate Artist at Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) she worked with gallery staff to create a series of drawings based on their complex relationships to climate change, within the context of the GoMA building.





Most recently, as part of an on-going research project ‘Multiple//Parallel’, making work based on the geology and hydrology of southeast Canada.



"I'm interested in the patterns and rules that govern the universe as we understand it, from a molecular to planetary scale. I often work in series; posing a question or exploring a concept, devising a set of parameters or rules, and testing out a series of variations on the theme. The result is a set of images that work together to pull and push an idea in different ways. To make just one image would suggest a definitive answer to a question. To make several suggests there are an infinite number of possible answers."

http://www.rachelduckhouse.co.uk

http://www.edinburghprintmakers.co.uk/exhibitions/Rhythm-in-Research-by-Rachel-Duckhouse

There is growth in the studio

Following my recent materials gathering session, a number of hybrid plants have blossomed in my studio. 

Alphabets of life

Following one of my recent blog posts, a friend contacted me with a suggestion to look at the book, Alphabets of Life by Kim H. Veltman. The book is about origins of alphabet and stories of the skies. Kim H. Veltman explores the origins of alphabets and characters in terms of five world languages. A theme of the book is to show that alphabet letters, now considered abstract signs, began as cosmograms and elements to explain stories of the skies, creation and life.

Ancient Armenian Alphabets (c. 6,500 B.C.) 

'It begins with an examination of marks, signs and symbols associated with the first three stages of writing.In Russia, these include Slavic petrogylphs, tamgas, glyphs, runes. They marked eternal cycles, primal forces and key moments of the annual cycle: solstices and equinoxes. Some of these became letters. Often parts or subsets became letters. They also became linked with early calendars.

Ancient Chechen Alphabets (c. 4,500 B.C.)

Sanskrit is the first documented, systematic approach linking sounds in the mouth with letters. It introduced eight divisions of the alphabet, and matrices of letters. Letters are linked with principles and elements in nature (tattvas). Letters are also linked with energy points in the body (chakras), with the mansions (nakshatras) of the moon and zodiac signs (rasis) of the sun. This approach becomes a starting point for chakra figures, temples, sacred cities and sacred landscapes. 

Ancient Slavic runes

Sanskrit is much more than a simple ordering of letters and sounds that we write, read, speak and hear: it provides a system for bringing order to the cosmos. The author explains how this integration involves breathing and yoga, which become an important factor in the structuring of early alphabets.

Slavic, Georgian, Armenian, Arabic, Mauritanian and Tibetan runes, letters

Scandinavian runes are linked with movements of the human body in a form of runic yoga that has roots in Bulgaria, Turkey and the Russian Federation. Scandivanian runes typically use 9 sticks or glory twigs in a relatively informal system. Slavic runes are inspired by a series of matrices and grids, which become models for runes and alphabets.

Slavic, Georgian, Armenian, Arabic, Mauritanian and Tibetan runes, letters

Early cultures typically linked letters of the alphabet with their astronomy and cosmology: e.g. stars, constellations, zodiac signs (of the sun), mansions (of the moon), planets. These arrangements are linked with stories of the skies.'

Slavic, Georgian, Armenian, Arabic, Mauritanian and Tibetan runes, letters

For more information, please visit http://www.alphabetsoflife.com

Jason Middlebrook

"Jason Middlebrook works in a variety of media and uses many different methods, bringing together divergent processes and materials in order to explore broader social issues, particularly our relationship with the environment. His practice is often site-specific practice, working with the community to find and salvage materials unique to the local landscape. The creative reuse of found objects appears in much of Middlebrook’s artwork wherein these objects are used directly in works or provide the inspiration for forms and images. Middlebrook was trained as a sculptor and painter, and he embraces both two- and three-dimensional modes of working, often in a single artwork. In his series of planks—raw milled boards of various types of wood—the flat surfaces are decorated, joining sculptural form with decorative painting."

http://www.mcachicago.org/archive/calder/#/artist/contemporary/middlebrook
"By re-configuring patterns found in nature, such as the shape and color of a wild mushroom, or the cross section of a tree trunk, Hudson, NY-based, Northern California-bred artist Jason Middlebrook creates ornate abstract works that vibrate with a rhythmic sensibility. Influenced by iconic artists such as Robert Smithson, Sol Lewitt, and John McCracken, Middlebrook’s relationship to the land stems from an admittedly Californian sensibility. 

Applying the paint in parallel lines or chevrons, Middlebrook allows for the grain to his marks. Whether fluid or geometric, the resultant forms reverberate. His choice of color varies, occasionally echoing the synthetic colors used to tag trees for logging and at other times stark and austere. These natural abstractions consider the environment while acknowledging our inherent need to destroy it."

http://moniquemeloche.com/exhibitions/new-works-made-on-in-and-around-wood/

http://jasonmiddlebrook.com

Wabi sabi

I have been attracted to Japanese design for a number of years, and curious about Japanese culture, but, regrettably, never really delved into the subject in a thorough manner. I recently came across the term wabi sabi, and have begun to look into this concept further.

"A blend of Eastern wisdom, feng shui, and the movement toward simplicity, Wabi Sabi is a Japanese expression meaning "wisdom in natural simplicity." Wabi Sabi helps us to see the beauty in imperfection, to discover that our unique flaws also can lead us to our greatest strengths and treasures.No one is perfect--in fact, we all are perfectly imperfect.

What is Wabi Sabi? 

A universal ideal of beauty, Wabi Sabi celebrates the basic, the unique, and the imperfect parts of our lives. Wabi Sabi is the comfortable joy you felt as a child, happily singing off key, creatively coloring outside the lines, and mispronouncing words with gusto. On a deeper level, Wabi Sabi is the profound awareness of our oneness with all life and the environment. It includes a deep awareness of the choices we make each day, the power we have to accept or reject each moment of our lives, and to find value in every experience. Appreciate this and every moment, no matter how imperfect, for this moment is your life. When you reject this moment, you reject your life. You don't have to settle for this moment, you are free to steer a different course, but for now, this moment is yours, so be mindful to make the most of it." 

http://astore.amazon.co.uk/wabisabi-21/detail/0740739603

"Wabi sabi is a state of consciousness. Its beauty hidden in the aesthetic or feeling experienced between you and something in the world."

"Wabi sabi has many different meanings. Wabi was originally associated with sadness and loneliness. However today it means living a simple and modest lifestyle; one which is peaceful, balanced and in tune with nature. 

Sabi originally meant ‘to be desolate’ but now it is associated with ‘growing old’, the natural progression of time, transitory or short-lived beauty and enjoying objects which are aged, fading or weathered.

It's about just ‘being’. Enjoying the moment and life’s simple pleasures and bringing more of these into our lives." 

"Together wabi sabi provides a way of life which helps us to connect with our true essence; the place within us where peace, serenity and harmony reside."

"Wabi sabi is:

• Unconventional

• Unassuming

• Unpretentious

• Understated

• Underplayed

• Undeclared

• Unencumbered 

• Unmaterialistic."

http://wabisabi.org.uk/

Kamchatka Ice Caves

I am continually discovering new sources of inspiration and love it when people introduce me to unfamiliar artists, concepts, places and 'things' from which I can learn.

A friend recently told me that at the weekend he was looking at some photos of the Kamchatka Ice Caves and they made him think about my work. Quite rightly, he thought I would be interested in the colours, surfaces and forms of these places of beauty.



Kamchatka Ice Cave, by Russian nature photographer Denis Budko

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDOipY3m7yvXqWrN2tAu2UrHLOZMLnhyphenhyphen1v2eRLq8CnXw1pFs0gusoOgM7KMDoczyq6iiamRb1rwuSONFWiYzyyyyb_RUHgpJSX9KOiklQpqjsDu_JEUpSWCZnFX6_MWZkpPMUBKasF0Hy/?imgmax=800



Mutnovsky is a complex volcano located in the southern part of Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. It is one of the most active volcanoes of southern Kamchatka; the latest eruption was recorded in 2000. At the foot of the Mutnovsky lies a geyser field, popularly known as the Lesser Valley of Geysers.

http://www.pixohub.net/2013/07/mutnovsky-kamchatka-peninsula-russia.html



Kamchatka Ice Cave, by Russian nature photographer Denis Budko

http://viola.bz/beautiful-kamchatka-ice-cave-by-photographer-denis-budko/

Visual Research - Zhangye Danxia landforms

Knowing my love of colour and pattern, a friend prompted me to look at Zhangye Danxia landforms. 

"The Danxia landform refers to various landscapes found in southeast, southwest and northwest China that "consist of a red bed characterized by steep cliffs". Danxia landform is formed from red-coloured sandstones and conglomerates of largely Cretaceous age. Similar in appearance to karst topography, danxia landforms are made up uplifted continental crust that has been faulted and eroded, exposing large scarps of layered rock, red in color.

Danxia landforms cover several provinces in southeast China.

 Taining County, Fujian Province, has very good examples of "young" danxia landforms wherein deep, narrow valleys have been formed. As the landform gets older, valleys widen and one gets isolated towers and ridges."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danxia_landform

Seasonal colours

Just as the gloriously sunny and warm weather makes me feel happy, the bright colours of the blooming plants also make me cheerful.

As I was walking through Kelvingrove Park today, I admired the beautiful combination of colours and plants, and thought about how planting could almost be compared to making a sculpture, thinking about the interaction of colours, forms, shapes, height, and where the viewer will be positioned when looking at the plants.