Contextural

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Art Date: Stitched and Drawn

Karin and i went this morning to see Richard Boulet's show, Stitched and Drawn, at ACAD's Illingworth Kerr Gallery, and HIGHLY recommend it. I hadn't known what to expect, even after reading as much as i could find about Boulet, and was thoroughly engaged at the show.

This isn't a "review" in the accepted sense; this is what i saw and felt.

Gender is usually NOT an issue for myself in viewing another's art, but it *was* surprising to see such a feminine touch in the works. I don't mean a girliegirlie look or ultrafine detail, women's "issues" or an usurpment or corruption of tradition. Mr Boulet evinced a respect for the fabrics, whether new or old, referencing vintage flavours, what i think of as 60's and 70's "political" banners and soft sculpture elements. EDIT: after writing this paragraph, i found this article: read what he says about the feminine.

His experiences with schizophrenia and psychosis were the backbone of the show. Responses to medication, the mental health system, the commonalities of the disease and his personal feelings and knowledge drew me in, not in any strident diatribe, but in thoughtful treatment of the subject, but with no feeling of self absorption, personal aggrandizement or egotism. At times, i could feel a shiver, a recognizable sensation remembered from my own relationship to friends and family with the disorder. I could also laugh at some of the pieces, as a sense of humour was very evident, and some made me want to cry.

Fabric choices are intensely personal to textile artists. I would never have thought of pairing 1890's style prints with contemporary batik/hand dyes. I wouldn't do delicate cross-stitch and place it on a huge area of pieced blocks. I wouldn't combine soft sculpture elements with a traditional quilting pattern, or graphic phrases with soft colours. That being said, it all worked together in a highly individualistic style. Everything was integrated. It jarred, but in an evocative rather than provocative way.

And i can't really share any images with you other than those in the previous post, as there aren't a lot online, and of course, no cameras are allowed in the gallery! The only other info i could find was this.

On his "No Longer Homeless" piece was this in fine cross-stitch:

If all i had were bits of colored thread i would weave a web and dangle it in the wind that blew around my eyelashes

And this reminded me so clearly of my ex husband:

There is a grand perfection in delusional thinking that can deeply stamp the mind of a person with schizophrenia with a divinity that lays permanent doubt upon coincidence.

Much food for thought, and that's what the point is for an "art date".

Monday, March 9, 2009

Stiched and Drawn

The Alberta College of Art and Design's Illingworth Kerr Gallery features work by Edmonton artist Richard Boulet from January 8-March 27, 2009.

The artist's latest body of fibre work is decidedly reflexive in nature, confronting past behaviours and decisions that have impacted negatively on his mental state. Boulet's time-intensive working process provides the artist an opportunity to contemplate the past and, stitch by careful stitch, to put things right. As he explains, “To use quilting and cross-stitching in a body of work that alludes to the psychological dilemmas of redressing regrets seems appropriate, in that there is a strong sense of comfort and self care in these two fibre techniques. Things can't be so bad, so confused, so basically wrong, if the resulting product produced instils a sense of a home well tended, eventually.” Commenting on the contrast between two aspects of his practice, drawing and quilting/cross-stitching, Boulet explains that drawing provides him an outlet for another sort of expression. “My drawings have a much different job to accomplish. This is when I mentally let loose. I let my mind slide into the energy of the atavistic psychological experience. I jump into the psyche with abandon and see what I can pull out by the seat of my pants. Drawing can be a testing ground to see if I have finally managed to recover to the point that there is no hidden danger lurking in my mind. Yes, the schizophrenia is always present at a certain level, but rules for maintaining mental health do exist, in part; drawing rules that were learnt in university and on my own. It is the sublime training of experience applied to the task at hand that eventually allows the fears and joys of the past to be investigated and given light.”

http://www.acad.ab.ca/wh_2009_01_ikg_rb.html

Don't let missing this show be a regret you have to reflect on, go out and see it!

Alberta College of Art + Design
1407-14 Ave NW
Calgary, AB Canada

HOURS : Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (unless otherwise noted)

Monday, March 2, 2009

feltastic

The process of felting is something everyone has experienced, although likely the experience was an unintentional resizing of a sweater. The beauty of a process like felting is that it really has a basic principle that an artist can then further explore different possibilities to make their own work; take for example how the artists Stephanie Metz and Chad Alice Hagen have both taken the process of felting and used different techniques to create to unique styles of work. Metz describes the her process;

To sculpt with wool I use a process called felting, which refers to compressing and matting individual fibers into a united solid mass through use of heat, pressure, moisture, or mechanical means. Most people are familiar with wet felting, in which hot, soapy water is used to shrink knitted or crocheted items into smaller, dense versions. I do not use hot water and soap—instead I use tools adapted from industrial use and work with the dry wool fibers directly.