CCAD Graduation 2011 Congratulations!

Today we received our degree certificates, at what turned out to be a really memorable occasion, in the august setting of Middlesbrough's, Victorian, Gothic Town Hall!!!!!

To all those who graduated from my course today I hope you too had an enjoyable day, many congratulations for obtaining your degrees and great success and happiness in the future..................

Naseem Darbey- textile/embroidery workshop at Bowes Museum

I have just returned from a lovely day learning how to use water soluble film and a sewing machine to create interesting free sewn lace/embroidery.

A few months ago I visited  the preview for Naseem's wonderful exhibition of  beautiful machine embroidered lace 3D textile sculptures, at Bowes Museum (the second most popular post on my blog!!) She returned today to explain to a group of fifteen how and why she had produced this display, as well as teaching us the techniques she had utilised.

Naseem is a lovely, enthusiastic and inspirational teacher. She has boundless patience and energy and somehow managed to explain everything, keep on top of all of our efforts and find time for each of us. She had ensured that everything we needed (apart from machines, which were our own) was available and kept the day running at a fast but easy to follow pace.

We began with a short lecture on her work in the Textile Gallery followed by some drawing exercises , which we used to create our own free machine embroidered pieces.

Unfortunately my pictures of Naseem and the group did not work.  However, Naseem very kindly gave me permission to photograph her work. They do not do it justice, but I hope they give a flavour of it's beauty.

The darkened textile gallery has various pieces displayed against illminated screens with what appear to be shadows. This is intential but the shadows are infact photographs, as the original display space  in Cliffe Castle Museum did not have the appropriate lighting.

Various garments have been produced related to phrases and script in letters Naseem found in the castle archives.  They were written by Mary Louise Roosevelt Burke Butterfield, who lived in Paris to her husband in England.  This chemise actually traces her handwriting. 

Mary Louise was a part of a circle of rich women who lived and entertained in Paris. This tiara is based on one from the same period.

This is an anotomically correct, internally lit heart, which as a stake driven through it. this is not  a reference to vampires, but to a sentence from another letter. She was pleading with him to return to her "if your heart is not nailed to Cliffe Hall."

Naseem runs similar courses and others, related to figure machine drawing and printing , for students and groups of individuals, in West Yorkshire. Details may be found on her website., http://www.naseemdarbey.com/
 I can thoroughly recommend them after todays experience.

Within Temptation concert at the Academy Manchester

Better late than never!!!

Last Wednesday I travelled to Manchester to watch a Dutch symphonic rock group, 'Within Temptation',  perform tracks from their current cd, as well as old favourites (including mine, 'Sparkling Angel' ).  It was a sell out. I had a great evening and left with buzzing ears and a hoarse throat!!!

I had watched them perform in Holland a few years ago.

On their home territory they had pyrotechnics, flaming crucibles, huge statues and a small symphony orchestra,as well as some amazing stilt butterfly people. Didn't manage photo's this time so have included some of my sons brilliant ones from that concert

  
                                                                                          Rock and Symphony

Good versus Bad!!!!! Amazing costumes..........

Happy rockers!!!!!

Rememberance....................

Today I am remembering ALL the people who have died, been injured  or fought for their beliefs.

Whatever 'side' someone belongs to it is, to them, the right one. They all leave family and friends behind to remember them and their bravery. Members of my family died in the trenches, whilst others helped the injured and fought in World War 2. I have visited war graves in France, Germany and the Far East. I lived near Belson. However, living in Germany showed me the same grief exists there too, for those involved with the war. Families mourn, wreathes are laid and the mental scars are still to be found amongst those involved.

I am particularly remembering my son's schoolfriend, Mark Reynolds (Royal Army Air Corps) who was killed, with his instructor,on his last training flight at the age of 24. He was awarded his wings posthumously.......

If only there were no need for conflict and all could live together in peace -whatever their colour, creed or political inclination...........................................................................................

Colin Thubron-'To a Mountain in Tibet' lecture

Not being a reader of travel books, I attended this lecture expecting a large number of beautiful pictures combined with amusing anecdotes, with a few thoughtful asides- related to the spiritual side of things referred to in the pre-lecture ads.

Instead Colin, a very well known writer came armed with just one slide ( a map of his route to the holy mountain he visited) and a wealth of knowledge and information about Tibet and the religions of the area he visited for this trip. After the death of the last member of his family he decided to visit the holy mountain in Tibet where the world is supposed to have begun and is also the place where Shiva is supposed to contemplate. His description of it and the nearby holy lake evoked a beautiful vista.  Whilst the devout pilgrims attempting to atone their sins and attain Nirvanah by making their way around the mountain by means of prostration was awe inspiring. Air burial, where the dead are cut up and fed to the sacred vultures was not a way I'd choose to go personally but I can see the environmental as well as spiritual appeal of it for some!

The talk was a most interesting, thought provoking and revealing experience that was informed by a wide range of texts. I was very impressed!

I was also left regretting the passing of occasions like this where one person can hold you with his experience and train of thoughts on such a serious subject (ritual, religion and death), without any other aid bar his voice and brain!

Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman, exhibition at the Brit...

After having watched the full programme (that this has taken short extracts from) on BBC i player I have become an unexpected convert!!!!  Love the whole idea of this curatorial concept and the skill in contemporaneous antique forms-Chinese vases, reliquaries, pilgrims favours,and the viking/Sutton Hoo style burial. Not sure about Alan Measles, or some of the costume choices but really enjoyed the whole programme. Would have loved to hear the Germans reaction to Grayson!!! Well worth watching even if you hate it you can't help admiring the imagination and commitments applied to this exhibition. Hoping to go and see it and Leonardo da Vinci (a more conventional hero of mine-love the idea of Renaissance man being able to know a little about everything )exhibition in the New Year, if I'm lucky!!!:-)

There is a Grayson Perry vase in the MIMA collage exhibition (see previous blog) 'Transformer and Receiver'

Think five weeks of immersment in Modernist and Postmodernist art (handed in first essay yesterday) is having an effect on my Victorian/beauty mind set......?!!!!

PS Since writing this post I have watched various very iinteresting U-tube clips about Grayson Perry. Whilst very uncomfortable with the overtly sexual side of his art I find the ideas expressed with regard to the war on terrorism, class and religion very interesting. The same is true of how he has made antique decorative art forms contemporary ;tapestry, banners, pottery et al .Wish I'd watched these when told to do this for my design degree!!! The St Martins clips are very good, with film of a vase being made and a complete explanation of the thoughts that have informed all his work.