T1-MMT-P5-s6 Wrapping

I’ve written about Mugugalurgarra (conceal) by Jonathan Jones, one of the most powerful and meaningful uses of wrapping that I have ever seen (17-Mar-2016).

A few days after the Canberra trip I was in the Art Gallery of NSW where installation of work by Sheila Hicks had begun in preparation for the Sydney Biennale.

Sheila Hicks
Installation in progress

Sheila Hicks
Installation in progress

The work itself uses wrapping as a technique, but in these photographs the pieces have additional coverings of heavy plastic. Some appears to be related to transportation, but most was simply protecting the work overnight (I was in the gallery for an evening lecture).

The wrapping mutes the bright colours, makes the shapes more anonymous, more uniform.

Could I use that idea with my collection? I’ve written about the attraction / interest of repetition with slight variations, done a simulation (6-Mar-2016). Could wrapping give an additional level of uniformity, a different way of seeing my objects?

I sketched out the idea with a small collage.

As well as providing a different perspective on the collection, I was really attracted to an idea that linked back so strongly to an earlier part of the course.

It was interesting to see my own difference in approach. In the wrapping assignment I simply tried things, experimented. This time I had a goal – present these particular objects differently. It meant I had a purpose in auditioning and selecting materials. I started with the base assumption of heavy plastic, thinking back to work by Christo. It didn’t meet my objective of greater uniformity of objects in different materials and was quickly discarded.

Given the material used in the earlier sketch / collage, I then turned to brown paper. Heavy paper lost a lot of detail of the forms, and I decided that I didn’t want the pieces to become too anonymous. A major point of the vessels was experimenting with space, the positive and negative spaces of the collection, and I didn’t want to lose that. Lighter weight paper could be crumpled (another nice echo from throughout the course), molded around the objects. For binding I chose a hairy linen thread, fairly fine. I liked the lines created in the wrapping – a good balance between distinct but not too intrusive and disrupting the semi-anonymity.

Sample p5-54
Click image for larger view

I took 98 photographs and the one above is the best of the bunch. I do not find it interesting or exciting.

Are the surrounds too busy? Is it lack of photography skills? Poor composition? The initial wrapping a bad idea? All these and more?

I like the process from inspirations through to making. I just don’t know how to make the result interesting.

Darn.

T1-MMT-P5-s6 Wrapping
Textiles 1 – Mixed Media for Textiles
Part 5: A final piece
Stage 6: Prototype/maquette-making
Wrapping