Oriental carpets/ V & A collection

Pazyryk Valley oriental carpet

(Jennifer Wearden, V & A publications, 2003)

 

Why are oriental carpets important to my practice?  –  The way the silk paintings have found a relation to the oriental carpets, are due to the shape – a rectangle shape. Also, we could consider that carpets are an architectural form…without carpets or rugs, a person is not able to rest their feet – perhaps a sensual feel, maybe a wiry feel to create feelings of uncanny, uncomfortable, itchy – only used for domestic reasons to clean feet or polish shoes. Perhaps a carpet is used as decoration, for a replacement of a boring wooden floor. Maybe the carpet tells a story, or has personal stories. Most often, carpets were there to provide warmth, “we use textiles as insulation on floors and beds”.

Carpets were studied and seen as art forms from around the late 19th Century to the 1930s. Wearden suggests “You may be surprised that a nineteenth century Caucasian carpet in similar to a sixteenth century Turkish one”.

The oldest surviving carpet (oriental) in the world was found in the Pazyryk Valley in Siberia – known as the Pazyryk carpet. (intro, Wearden).

Stained glass, Aus edition

Klaus Zimmer

Perhaps we could consider the silk paintings I have done relate well to the stained glass windows. Silk has a quality to it that when shown against the light, the coloured dyes/paint seem to be different colours and the wax seem to be transparent, in a way that stained glass does to i.e. Llandaff Cathedral. (Photos attached)

 

• Stained glass in Australia, Jenny Zimmer, Oxford University Press, 1984
  The passages in the book talk about the history of glass as an art of Australia in the last twenty years at the time it was published/written, which was 1984.

We should remember that stained glass is an ancient technology used for art, but also brings in art in an architectural form; the creative form is a Christian origin – the way the light falls into the window and through the images is like ‘God’s light’, an angel, a bright star *relating to the nativity*, a halo – which can be seen in Renaissance paintings, relating to biblical stories.

However, not all stained glass is for architectural use…and only is used for exhibition purposes. Such as Klaus Zimmer’s Chang-sha.

In later periods, in the later 1890s, stained coloured glass could be seen in private homes, “elaborate mansions and humble terraces”.

Stained glass windows being in emotion through the colours in brings to a space.

field, The theatre…

From the formative assessment, now a couple of months ago – I have decided to look at theatres more closely and the plays and performances that happen there. .

As the theme of the homeless carries on…I looked up on ‘homeless plays’ – which I found

The Lower Depths (1901-1902)  by Maxium Gorky, and it was directed Konstantin Skowvarski.

I also got a book from the Library called ‘The Theatre – a concise history’ By Phyllis Hartnoll – 1985 – Thames and Hudson- so I could find out more about theatres in general, and what happens inside them, as well as their history. The images will help me for ideas to continue the project, which links with installation for what I presented for the formative.

My next post will have some notes, and quotes from the book about the theatre, and my thoughts on what will happen in theatres for the future.