A version of the Pleiades

The Pleiades...hmmm pretty magical. Aboriginal story takes inspiration from this consellation - have to check it out. More to follow.

A “Universe” quilt, commissioned by Jan (January 2015)

The starting point: in the dark!

It’s not often that one is asked to represent the Universe in a quilt – let alone a small quilt to hang on a wall. I have fabrics cut in preparation for my own Universe quilt, which I hope one day I will sleep under – when it is finished! My quilt is quite simple, based on a design fom a quilt book. Using mostly hand-dyed cottons cut into various widths and pieced together quite randomly is the idea – though “random” is hard for me since I have to relinquish control.

I made a quilt for friend Jan a few year ago, which was called “The magpie quilt”, and was based on her memoir “Coming home to myself” (previous blog 6/12/12). Jan has asked me to record in fabric for her walls another (unwritten) chapter of her story: the influence of the bodies and energies of what we know as “the Universe” (– though we may not really know its extent).

Jan tells me in a brief email about her concepts of the Universe, revealing possible underlying themes, which could include stories of the ‘feminine and the sisterhood of all women’ as ‘expressions of the universal essence as is all form that is manifest – from the tiniest to the grandest… all the vitality and unity, manifested in different forms – often very fleeting – eternal and fleeting.’ Jan recognizes the paradox in this exchange of the fleeting nature of universal energy, becoming manifest and returning to energy, and although I ‘get it’ in my mind/body system, I wonder how such can be represented – manifested in a small quilt, big ideas in a small space is always a challenge.

Then some symbolic representations are provided: ‘moon, sun and the seasons, and stars.’ Important stars are the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, which Jan looks at with the naked eye, as well as seeing them through telescope: ‘they are beautiful and magical'. Jan acknowledges the wide range of myths associated with the constellation, where so often the female aspect of these stories is ‘subsumed into the male stories’. So, this is the 'brief', in brief, and the spark of inspiration germinating in the dark. Next installment coming very soon.

More on the ‘economy’ of the gift

Lewis Hyde’s reference to the gift as an ‘erotic’, biophillic exchange applies to this quilt; it promotes 'flourishing' (Grace Jantzen, 1998, Becoming divine: towards a feminist philosophy of religion). The small label that was stitched to the back of the original tablecloth is now on the back label of the quilt (as shown in previous blog, and here again). 

It reads “Soul catcher”, which I feel is epitomizes the elements of a gift exchange, where the soul or spirit of a community of people – here quilters – is recognized and flourishes in the ‘’moving”, the handing on of the object. My soul received nourishment in the receiving, as I believe did Annie’s in the stitching, and Sheila’s in the finding and seeing the value of the cloth.  Without art for its own sake, offered, received and moved on as a gift, the economy governing creativity can become at best artificial, or at worst, oppressive – which is the threat of a capitalist democracy’s unreserved reverence for ‘market triumphalism’ as Hyde calls it, (as though the market were a person). Certain values we hold important cannot be held by a market economy derived by the unregulated, exclusive and individual search for personal gain, without some things losing out. Things such as pure science, art and a spiritual life (unlike a ‘religious’ life), cannot be included in the economy unless by way of a gift; it is a contradiction in terms. And what is required to make sure these values remain active? The recognition of our indigenous spirit and the methods provoked and engendered over multiple generations for maintaining our communities and reciprocal values. There are different ways people do this. I do it through the recognition of the seasonal cycles of Earth as a means for informing and re-storying my indigenous consciousness.

While Hyde uses folk tales to demonstrate the power of the gift exchange to demonstrate the necessity of the arts and sciences as ends in themselves, recently the film “The woman in gold” did so for me. With a Klimt portrait as the central image, with its value to the community (of Austria) and the rightful ownership (by a Jewish family during WW2) being disputed – the artwork moved on. In the movement achieved the purpose of the artwork as a community 'be-longing': the value of the work as a market commodity was retrieved and distributed by the owner to many other community foundations. It is not uncommon for women who have made quilts to gift them to others. After the 2013 October fires in the Blue Mountains, in which over 200 homes were lost to the fires in only a matter of hours, mostly in the close vicinity to where I live. The result of a call for donations of quilts to help those who had lost all was unbelievably generous, with well over a thousand quilts being donated.

Art as ritual gift as community

“The Gift: how the creative spirit transforms the world” has been called a type of ‘manifesto’, written by Lewis Hyde and first published over thirty years ago. It seems to have had various subtitles with different editions, but is essentially about the mysterious role and purpose of creativity and the artist in the world of a market economy, such as has developed over the last four or five decades in particular – when the essential act of creating art has no material value and cannot be bought or sold. It raises question about how we place value on the creative arts in our society: as a commodity whose value is governed by market forces or as a gift to enlighten and nurture us, to maintain community bonds and express underlying shared values? Treating art purely as a commercial enterprise, are we in danger of ignoring its deeper, eternal worth? Or can we allow our art to be expressed in a context where ‘the true commerce of art is a gift exchange,’ the fruits of which is a ‘creative spirit whose fertility is not exhausted in use’ and which contribute to ‘the sense of plenitude which is the mark of all erotic exchange… as agents of transformation, and to a sense of an inhabitable world – …towards a civilization in which the realized gifts of the gifted stand surety for the life of the citizenry’ (p.161). His use of the term ‘erotic’ is in the sense of procreative, the ‘life-giving’ role of art in its relationship with a social economy, ‘…for a true image has a life of its own.’ Underpinning all claims is his assertion that there needs to be movement between the gift and those who accept it, a ‘passing along’ in order to fulfill its role of ‘increase’ to the society through its redistribution (pp.34-37).

There is much more to this exploration of the role of the arts than can be satisfactorily summarized here – it takes much thoughtful reading! But in the gift bestowed of the hand-quilting of the Celtic tablecloth I am conscious of the ideas coming into form as an image of the mystery that is the gift of procreation, for the maintenance of the life of the group. Gift-giving is a ritual so much more important as nourishment for the soul (either of the individual or the group) than religious dogmas and observances.

“The Gift” – as a quilt

“The gift is not used up in use.” (Lewis Hyde 1979, “The gift”)

This quilt, which I have called “The Gift” to honour the parts taken by Sheila and Annie in ‘gifting’ me this lovely, warm quilt, started with the gift of a tablecloth by an anonymous person to a garage sale run by the Sisters of East Timor. This group of women raises money to support women and girls to gain an education – another manifestation of the gift at work in our community. The gifting (unlike the acquiring) process re-doubled as my friend Sheila (who bought it for $1 she thinks), then gave it to me (Sheila gives me lots of little, lovely, inspiring things, for no reason other than to share).

It was a lovely piece, a whole cloth with a bold purple Celtic design printed onto a soft cream background. I have always loved the winding and weaving of lines in the Celtic design tradition. It seemed too beautiful to use as a tablecloth, not withstanding that I already have several in the cupboard, which I rarely use. Looking at it, I considered whether the design could be sectioned and re-constructed in panels for a wall-hanging, but the thought of keeping it a whole-piece cloth appealed more. Most ‘whole-cloths’ are hand quilted, something I had never done. I’m a machine quilter, and felt no inclination to undertake what I thought would make this quilt a special whole-cloth quilt.

The next stage of the gifting process related to this cloth came about during a conversation with Annie in the “Turning Page” bookshop, the business she runs with her husband Alan. Yes, she hand quilts, and yes, she would be happy to hand quilt the top that I’d been given. Forthwith I found a backing: a shade of purple patterned with butterflies and growing vines to represent the 'rebirth' of a tablecloth, to closely match the purple of the top. Annie said she would provide the batting. And, the cost for her work, I asked? Replacing the batting was the obvious starting point, to which I readily agreed, still expecting that there would be further monetary payment on finishing the quilt. About eighteen months later, Annie told me she was nearing completion of the quilting. When I went into pick up the quilt and discuss payment she would not hear of any monetary exchange – just enough batting, preferably wool, for a queen-size quilt. What a wonderful gift!

I will add more to this story, as seen from the perspectives I have gained after reading “The Gift” by Lewis Hyde.

Light, dark and shadows: creating ways of seeing

After the Summer Solstice last week, I went down to Canberra with Leo, and we paid a brief visit to the National Gallery, a favourite drawcard. With limited time avialable, (we had gone primarily to visit friends), we 'did' the rooms of Australian art, which we always love. On the ground floor, I paid homage to David Hockney's 'A grander canyon', which was very influential for me in forming ideas about reverse perceptions, drawing one into the landscape instead of gazing at it from the safe distance of a window frame - and indeed the nature of perception formation.

The feature exhibition was a retrospective of the work of James Turrell, whose installation we had seen at the Guggenheim NYC last year. That exhibition was very beautiful, and people waited their turn to lie on the mats provided on the floor under the skylight to gaze up at the changing hues of each tone as they gradually glided down to the ground when above an orange emerged emerged from the palest pink, all no doubt created by laser lights. There was no time to take in this 'retrospective', but I was reminded of the permanent installation outside (called Skyspace I now know), which we had visited when we had travelled to Canberra to see the Fred Williams retro 3 years ago. So before heading home, we wandered over, down into the ramp towards the entrance. I'd forgotten how 'entrancing' this work is, where the natural light interplays with (natural) dark; where shadows formed gradually dissolve, and a burst of light can make shapes like phases of the moon. The colours come to life at sunset (or an early but warm, or late but cold dawn, depending on season) - but that will have to wait for the next trip to Canberra.

Thinking about my next quilt commission from Jan, this was the perfect spot to start the creative juices flowing. I took some photos, thinking about structure for the concept she has talked about. Other views are available here: http://nga.gov.au/turrell/. Turrell says in the clip that we may have beliefs of set perceptions, when it is really we who create ways of seeing. Very much my position; very much what art does. I'm getting quite a little excited about creating this quilt now!

Tantalising images, taking one out into all sorts of worlds, interestingly (sub) titled as "Within without"...makes me think of Pink Floyd's 'Dark side of the moon'.

The Earth Said: Sheila’s personal quilt

The Earth Said: Sheila’s personal quilt

This little quilt was designed for Sheila’s 70^th Birthday, which occurred on July 4, 2014. My friend Sheila is a Catholic nun belonging to the Presentation Order of Sisters, from the Wagga Wagga. With almost 50 years of service, her commitments, experiences and achievements in the service of her fellow human beings form the ground of her being. I had heard quite a few of the stories, but spatial limitations were a concern! Thankfully, according to Sheila’s directions the quilt became about A3 in size, and contains 3 motifs she requested: trees; the moon and water (for her birth sign in Cancer); and wolf, her spiritual totem (and I suspect what could be described as her inner daemon).

Sheila has lived in the Blue Mountains since 2000 and become deeply embedded in and embraced by the many local and wider communities she continues to serve locally today. Over the years, since meeting at the Seasonal Rituals held by GlenYs Livingstone, we have become friends as we journey on our personal spiritual paths, which have many similar directions: in our study of the Universe Story, in the sharing of Goddess stories and love of the environment.

With a sigh of relief after content and size of the ‘brief’ was established, I started to think about design features of the future quilt. Living in the beautiful World Heritage area of the Blue Mountains, it is impossible not to be aware of the wonderful imposing eucalypts, so many different varieties in such abundance.

Creating the “tree of life”

It became clear that the focal point of the design was to be a “tree of life” – at once representative of Sheila’s amazing life’s achievements and the bigger notion of Life as we experience it on our Earth. Over a few months I had taken photos with Sheila’s quilt in mind. Next stage in design emerged with the finalization of the angophora to represent the Tree of Life. The final form of the angophora is based on the magnificent specimen in my front yard – a choice made by Sheila, after I’d presented her with several drawings of eucalypts. As a species, the angophora is distinct from the genera of the eucalyptus, of which there are over 750 varieties. The positioning of branches lead the eye up from the massive trunk towards the limitlessness of space – a space taking the eye and mind out into ‘the Universe story’. As serendipity would have it, came across the poem by Lauren de Boer called “Earth Said”, which I had hidden away in a folder somewhere. It seemed to me to express Sheila’s achievements, challenges and aspirations, and went on the back of the quilt together with the dedication.

 Be like a tree. Stay rooted in the dream.

Give yourself fully to the changing seasons.

There is a time to leaf and flower,

A time to release and be dormant.

 A tree doesn’t worry or fret

 about whether it is an oak or a eucalypt,

 a sycamore or a wattle.

 It gives itself fully to its aliveness.

  

 A tree doesn’t worry about success or failure,

 because they don’t exist.

 They are only concepts in the mind.

“The Earth Said”: a poem by Lauren de Boer (with minor alterations of names of trees for the Southern Hemisphere.)

 Moon and water are the symbol and element for the sign of Cancer. Moons more often than not feature in my artwork, often showing several of the eight phases usually represented in discussions of the 28 day cycle from full dark to full light and return. The inclusion of Moon is not just in recognition of her birth sign, but celebrates Sheila’s incorporation of an Earth-centred spirituality into her spiritual life. The phases of Moon’s cycle can also be associated with the cycle of the Seasons and their movement from nascent creativity to fecund fullness. The full moon in the quilt clearly represents the golden harvest full moon (seen before Mabon/the Autumn Equinox), a very fitting symbol for Sheila’s lifetime of service in many communities. From the design point of view, it released me from the notion of having to ‘free cut’, which wasn’t going to work with what is essentially a jigsaw approach to cutting the fabric pieces for this work; fusible relief approach was used for the moon.

This is how the angophora became translated into a pattern to work with once fabric was selected.

I had been reading about the form of the circle in relation to the gift exchange view of economic interactions, as they have developed and been modified through the history of ‘western civilization’ (Hyde, ‘The gift’, 2007)[1] I realised that the methods for ‘gift exchange’ as they are explored in Lewis Hyde’s book, not only relate to Sheila’s actions in her life, expressed through her vow of poverty, but are very much part of my own ethics about equitable exchanges. The full moon in the quilt, initially included to represent the star sign of Cancer, took up another meaning. From the perspective of the Earth, the diameter of the moon seems to diminish and increase, as the light falling on the moon wanes and waxes. Hyde uses the metaphor of the radius of the circle to define different types of relationships, where the exchange moves between the value to be had in giving through engaging in the “spirit of the gift’’ as experienced in tribal societies for the benefit of the whole community, to the current expression of exchange that is engaged in as a response motivated by an individual’s desire for personal enhancement. In the former, the radius from the self is elongated, until a boundary is drawn through encountering someone ‘other’, outside the group. In the latter the radius has perhaps all but disappeared, such that the ‘other’ is perceived as everyone but the self. Hyde writes of this waxing and waning as a continuum, a sequential continuum in historical time for sure, but it can also be in feeling the pull and resistance of the swing in the present time. It is this indigenous sensibility for inclusion of the other as far as possible that must be at the heart of Sheila’s endeavours.

Wolf as totem daemon

While searching on the net for a wolf image, I came across the blogspot of Susan Hawthorne.  The page describes a visit to a small museum in Italy, north of Rome if I remember rightly, where Susan unexpectantly comes across the image of a wolf woman carved on a small stone dated at 300,000 years before the present – give or take a few! The image has a very clear representation of the pubic triangle, with breasts and arms fold across the stomach. The link is here:

http://susanslambdawolfblog.blogspot.it/2014/01/la-donna-lupa-paleolitica.html

Sheila told me she had been to a retreat in the USA where she “met” her totem, wolf, or perhaps more accurately, wolf came to her. Her totem has stayed with her, providing her with guidance, insights and comfort, hiding protectively here beside the angophora. Final touch at the base of the quilt, is the positioning of four gumleaves, representing the cycling seasons.

Happy seventieth B'Earthday Sheila!

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[1] Lewis Hyde (2007 3^rd ed) The Gift, Cannongate Books, UK. Although originally published in 1982, this book has provided many insightful moments for me. Highly recommended.