colour mapping :Japan

Colour mapping : Japan

 

 

Japan has often been a source of inspiration for my work, from a response to the Japanese tsumani in 2011 to the cherry blossom motif of “A Few Words”, a piece commissioned by Southmead Hospital to raise awareness of organ donation. 

 

I have travelled to Japan a couple of times, but an extended visit in 2016 provided the inspiration for this body of work. It reinforced the contradictions that lie at the heart of my fascination with Japan: the respect for tradition but relentless drive for modernity; the calm order and aesthetic purity matched with a dynamic urbanity and constant renewal.

 

Inspired by the purchase of A Dictionary of Colour Combinations by Haishoku Soukan 1933-1934, the work comprises a series of reflections on my experience of Japanese culture which explore familiarity and unfamiliarity, tradition and modernity through the lens of colour combinations; colour driven interpretations of city and country - from the atomic black rain of Hiroshima to the neon overload of Tokyo, from the Golden Temple in Kyoto to Tadao Ando buildings in Naoshima.

 

Each piece is postcard sized and is made from kimono silks – a representation of a brief moment in time and place.  At the foot of each card is a series of colour dots that are the essence of the colour moment and reference colour tests used in fabric printing.

 

The key to the exhibition is a dress made from a modern Japanese pattern, a piece of clothing symbolising the singularity of Japanese fashion as a combination of past and present; it is both artwork and garment. Printed on the silk is a map of Japan, designed using the traditional paint colours exhibited in the Narukawa Art Museum, Hakone. The map charts the colour journey and links to the locations of the postcards.  

 

The work embodies the exploration of a modern aesthetic through a traditional medium – the craft of fabric and thread. It represents a passion and perspective on the culture of Japan.

 

The work will be first seen at the West of Bristol Arts Trail from 14-15th October, and then I hope to move it to a venue which celebrates Anglo/ Japanese cultural exchange.

 

 

 

The back of the Leavers' Dress

The 16 school leavers were given a questionnaire asking them to consider how they are feeling about the world beyond school- they were asked to respond on a colour scale with yellow being - agree completely - blue utterly disagree.

These statistics are now being reinterpreted as a bar chart for the dress:

 


The front of a Leavers' Dress

This week I have been working on the front of the Leavers' Dress - concentrating on the responses to 'What moment are you most looking forward to?" 

 

The words are made using the font Braggadocio and in shades of grey - all of which stylistically refer to the Apple Mac loading symbol. The idea is that as the students leave school they are about to start their life adventure, and the loading symbol represents this exciting anticipatory moment in their lives. Silk has been used to simulate the movement of the symbol.

Holburne / sixth form project

Portrait of Arthur Atherley

by

Thomas Lawrence

1791

 

Holburne Commission – in progress

 

 

Along with six other artists, I am working with The Holburne Museum in Bath and a group of sixth form students to explore the recent acquisition of an oil sketch by Thomas Lawrence of Arthur Atherley. The full length portrait can be found in the LA County Museum of Art.

The intention is to use the painting as a means to explore what it is to be young and the impact of leaving school, as this painting was made by a 21 year old artist depicting a young man leaving Eton in the late 18th Century.

I will be working with a girls’ school and I’d like to explore the following in relation to this important moment in their lives:

-       appearance and disposition

-       expectations and considerations when leaving school

-       what you take with you from school / what you leave behind

-       whether being a girl makes a difference in the world today

 

Overview

 

One of the aspects of Lawrence's portrait that struck me was that Atherley has been dressed to make a statement. In the full length portrait he is in a red jacket- not school uniform as in the sketch. It is possible this was the costume used for a pageant connected with Eton, whatever the reason the result is striking.The colour is electric and we are immediately drawn into the portrait. Appearance is everything- Lawrence himself was very keen to present an image while painting, and his long curls and entertaining manner were noted to be almost a performance by those who sat for him. In response I have decided to make a dress informed by the thoughts of the school leavers, but with contemporary elements.

The fabric will be silk as the dress should represent the importance of the occasion; it is a school leaver's dress, but this is also a nod to the fact that Lawrence was very particular about the quality of the materials he used. The colour palette will refer to both the oil sketch and Lawrence’s full length portrait. The ground will be reminiscent of the colour of the canvas of Lawrence’s sketch, and the embroidery/surface decoration in both content and design will be in response to the workshop (below) drawing from colour palette of Lawrence's work. 

 

 

There will, however, be a modern contemporary aspect to the garment as it is a 2017 response. I want to incorporate the 'loading' symbol - ubiquitous on our screens, but as a symbol of the start of a new life for those who participated in its making- and have printed some silk fabric for this purpose.

 

Methodology

 

Questions

 

Having discussed the portrait in terms of content and technique, the students will be give series of questions for them to answer anonymously on a colour scale (drawn from the painting) considering their thoughtsabout leaving school. e.g: 

My appearance represents how I feel

I will live up to others' expections of me  

They will then be asked to consider the following questions (both literally and metaphorically):

 

What will you take with you?  

What will you leave behind?

 

A gift

 

Part of the artwork is for the students to take with them a hand made needle-case to remember not only the act of leaving school – but also this commission. It was chosen as an object that is portable and will always be of use, but is unique to this experience, and also because it was the object I took with me from school (I still have the pin cushion I made in the equivalent of Year 7).