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Ready… Steady… #fb via Instagram May 11, 2013 at 10:16AM
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Ready… Steady…
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Diffusion Festival Embroidered Photographs Workshop
From Spikeworld. | Spikeworld - The blog of textile artist Spike Dennis
Diffusion Festival Embroidered Photographs Workshop
Last weekend I led an embroidered photographs workshop at Chapter Art Centre in Cardiff as a part of the Diffusion photography festival. It was an enjoyable day with two groups of participants bringing their own twists to the workshops.
I had provided a number of patterns based upon some creative commons licensed images that I had sourced for the workshop. Those taking part used these as test pieces to get a feel for how you might go about embroidering onto a photograph. Having explored some of the techniques used the participants took their needle and threads to some of their own images.
It was great to see that most all of the participants expanded upon on the original patterns that were provided to create some unique patterns and embellishments.
You can view some of the results below.
Click to view full size images
The Diffusion Festival continues until the end of May. If you can’t make any or all of the events and exhibitions do check out the Diffusion Experience via their website.
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Mountain doodles
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Mountain doodles #fb via Instagram May 02, 2013 at 05:57PM
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Tracking sublime mountain ridges
From Spikeworld. | Spikeworld - The blog of textile artist Spike Dennis
Tracking sublime mountain ridges >> via Instagram May 03, 2013 at 02:05PM
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#boyswhosew embroidering vintage photographs
From Spikeworld. | Spikeworld - The blog of textile artist Spike Dennis
#boyswhosew embroidering vintage photographs via Instagram May 08, 2013 at 07:41PM
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#Fb Mary Davies’ work, Carmarthen, August the 10 1624
From Spikeworld. | Spikeworld - The blog of textile artist Spike Dennis
#Fb Mary Davies’ work, Carmarthen, August the 10 1624 via Instagram May 10, 2013 at 03:50PM
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This afternoons @_diffusion embroidered portraits workshop is well
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This afternoons @_diffusion embroidered portraits workshop is well under way #fb via Instagram May 11, 2013 at 03:23PM
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#boyswhosew Green work in progress
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#boyswhosew Green work in progress #fb >> via Instagram May 15, 2013 at 11:01PM
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Contextual Categories: Art and Craft
From Spikeworld. | Spikeworld - The blog of textile artist Spike Dennis
Art vs Craft
In the last issue of Crafty Magazine columnist Mr X Stitch opened up the old Art and Craft debate which got me thinking. As someone who studied Fine Art, and now employing material processes which many consider to be ‘Crafts’, I have increasingly found myself giving more thought to issues which relate to this debate.
The boundaries between Art and Craft have been contested for long time now with Craft often coming off worse – often being associated with amateurism and craft fairs. It is an argument that continues today as Mr X Stitch’s article illustrates and I know a fair few ceramicists in particular who continue to struggle with this debate.
It surprises me somewhat however that the debate hasn’t really developed beyond pitting one against the other. The question still asked is something akin to; “Is this work Art or is it Craft?”
Art and Craft are different. Art is not Craft and Craft is not Art. Likewise Illustration is not Art and Art is not Illustration; Photography is not Art and Art is not Photography; Painting is not Art and Art is not Painting.
These terms are independent of one another and describe niche disciplines or areas of intellectual or material processes within the arts.
If we consider “image X”, for example, it might be widely be agreed that that this work is an Illustration. However, that does not mean to say that “Image X” cannot also be Art.
In fact “Image X” might reasonabley be considered to be Illustration, Art, Drawing, Design and Painting all at the same time.
Contextual Categories
These categories that we apply to describe creative works are fluid. They are independent of one another and there is absolutely no reason why we cannot apply more than one of them to any individual piece of work.
So returning to Craft let us consider “Object Z” which is widely agreed to be Craft. There is absolutely no reason why this piece of work cannot simultaneously be considered Art.
In fact if “Object Z” happened to be one of my own embroideries, for example, Synchronous Hermaphrodites, I would be as comfortable labelling this work as Art as I would Craft as well as Textiles, Drawing and Fibre Art amongst others.
All of these labels are applicable in helping to define this piece of work. Labelling it as only Craft rejects the research that went into developing the themes that I am trying to explore through the work. On the other hand labelling it as only Art ignores the time and effort that was put into realising the outcome of my research.
Of course some may not agree that all of these labels are appropriate to describe my work. That some might find it difficult to consider one of my Synchronous Hermaphrodites embroideries as Drawing is understandable. Categories are contextual and specific to an individual as Daniel Levitin argues in his book “This is Your Brain on Music”. Levitin states that one person’s Heavy Metal music might be another person’s Rock music. Continuing with this vain of thought it is reasonable to assert that one person’s Art might be another person’s Craft and even another’s Illustration.
This argument for contextual categories is supported by John Carey. In his book “What Good Are The Arts?” Carey argues that anything can be Art if someone considers that something to be Art. The rationale that one might apply to a piece of work in order to categorise it might include any number of things such as education or the influence of friends and acquaintances amongst others.
So whilst I might consider “Object Z”, which we have widely agreed to be Craft, to also be Art, the next person may disagree and consider the work to be perhaps both Craft and Illustration but not Art.
Individual Perspectives
In his article in Crafty Magazine Mr X Stitch postulates that a lay person might categorise work thusly; “This is a painting, therefore it’s art. That is a cross stitch therefore it’s craft”.
This might be true for that individual but that is not to say that the cross stitch mentioned might also be considered Art by the next person. The qualities that one individual looks for in a piece of work to identify which categories should be applied to it may differ considerably depending on many external factors.
Mr X Stitch goes on to state that “to decide that work made with a needle and thread can’t be art is rubbish”.
But is it not rubbish to so swiftly belittle someone else’s opinion as to what is Art and what is not?
After all we are not all engaged with the arts to the same degree. We are all different, a fact that we are regularly encouraged to celebrate, and the combinations of criteria that we might apply to categorise a piece of work might vary infinitely.
Back in school I remember that a large preponderance of the work studied and created during art classes revolved around painting, drawing and occasionally sculpture. Assuming that art lessons around the country are delivered in similar ways due to the National Curriculum it would be understandable that many people whose engagement with the arts ended after the completion of their GCSEs, if not earlier, might apply such critique as “This is a painting, therefore it’s art”. If they never acquired any experience of working with stitch during art classes then the possibility of cross stitch being considered Art may never have entered into their mind.
I have completed quite a robust education in the arts and so my own criteria for categorising works are quite different to what they might have been if I had given up following a creative path after completing my GCSEs. Being rooted in the visual arts I tend to think of Art as visual philosophy; I see it as referring to the intellectual rigour with which a work is underpinned, whilst I view Craft as the material processes which were engaged with in the physical creation of a work; whether that be sewing, drawing, painting or otherwise. These may be means-end processes but they are still as important, in my opinion, as the intellectual input that fuels the creation of new work.
Whilst the term ‘Craft’ might be used in the pejorative and the term ‘Art’ might often appear to some to be pretentious there is no reason why the two have to be mutually exclusive.
Do comment below with your view. I’d be interested to hear of others’ opinions on this topic and how you distinguish one creative category from another.
If you enjoyed this post you might enjoy listening to Grayson Perry musing along similar lines in this video from the V&A.
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The mystic hunt for the unicorn is over
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The mystic hunt for the unicorn is over #fb via Instagram May 25, 2013 at 10:58AM
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#todayimmaking wire frame unicorns
From Spikeworld. | Spikeworld - The blog of textile artist Spike Dennis
#todayimmaking wire frame unicorns #fb via Instagram May 26, 2013 at 09:16PM
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Blue da-ba-dee-di
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#Fb Blue da-ba-dee-di via Instagram May 28, 2013 at 08:26PM
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Homework #unicorns
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Homework #unicorns #fb via Instagram June 10, 2013 at 07:50PM
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Drawing in Between Seminar
From Spikeworld. | Spikeworld - The blog of textile artist Spike Dennis
Image: Natasha Mayo Studio Practice
Drawing In Between: Interdisciplinary Learning Through Drawing
I’ll be exhibiting work from my series of Synchronous Hermaphrodites embroideries at the Howard Gardens Gallery in Cardiff next week to coincide with Cardiff School of Art & Design’s Drawing in Between seminar.
Drawing is the first means by which we reach out and respond to the world and increasingly, the means by which artists are questioning our understanding of it. This seminar aims to examine the capacity of drawing as a cognitive tool, specifically how drawing might be used to gain access to, explore and communicate other bodies of knowledge.
It will examine how drawing is currently employed across the disciplines including textiles, ceramics, illustration, and how drawing can articulate the spaces between art and science, mathematics and sound.
Speakers at the event include:
- Natasha Mayo
- Carolyn Bew
- Catherine Fairgrieve
- Chris Glynn
- Kyra Cane
- Andre Stitt
- Alex McErlain
The project is funded by HEA and so CSAD are able to offer places at the seminar free of charge as a precursor to a larger event in the future. Its aim is to provoke discussion into the potential for drawing to extend research and learning within an art school. To book your place please email Angie Dutton adutton [at] cardiffmet.ac.uk or call 029 20416628.
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Drawing in Between Exhibition Photographs
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Drawing in Between Exhibition Photographs
A selection of my embroideries were exhibited at the Howard Gardens galleries at Cardiff School of art and Design last week as a part of their Drawing in Between symposium and exhibition. The exhibition featured work by artists fro across all disciplines as it sought to explore how Drawing is employed across the visual arts.
In addition to my embroideries there was work that might more traditionally be considered as Drawing by Andre Stitt and Chris Glynn along with ceramics suc as those pictured below produced by Alex McErlain in collaboration with textile artist Alice Kettle.
In addition to this exhibition there was also a symposium held last Friday which was supported by the HEA. I only managed to make it to the afternoon session but there was lots of interesting discussion.
As someone with a background in Fine Art who is currently employing craft techniques it was particularly interesting to note the difference in approaches to drawing from Fine Artists and Craftsmen. The crafts people that spoke talked about drawing in a very practical manner whilst the Fine Artists adopted what I would consider to be a more expansive philosophical approach.
You can view some more images from the exhibition below.
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Once Upon Again… Again
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Poster by Amelia Johnstone & Layla Holzer
Once Upon Again Fairy Tale Exhibition
Following the success of our exhibition at Milkwood gallery, Cardiff, earlier this year the Pack of Wolves will be exhibiting their exhibition Once Upon Again at the Winns Gallery in London.
“Fairy tales serve a meaningful social function, not just for compensation but for revelation: the worlds projected by the best of our fairy tales reveal the gaps between truth and falsehood in our immediate society.” – Jack Zipes
Once upon Again will be an exhibition of fairy tale inspired work. The title suggests the idea of re-imagined narratives – taking existing fairy and folk tales and retelling them. This follows the tradition of stories being passed from generation to generation over centuries, through cultures and societies, books, art and film. These stories were once rife with violence, disobedience and punishment, dark magic, sex, cannibalism, beasts and fantastical wishes that came true.
The Pack of Wolves will retell fairy tales, as they should be – as they once were, bringing back old values and themes… Once Upon Again. The artists will take inspiration from existing fairy and folk stories and either reinvent them or present new stories using visual narratives. Fairy tales should not only enchant and entertain the audience but also illuminate and inform.
Due to having a different venue in which to exhibit the exhibition will be tweaked and re-arranged slightly following it’s initial outing in Cardiff. Notably this exhibition at the Winns Gallery will see additional new works on display by Layla Holzer, Marie-Louise Plum and Amelia Johnstone.
A selection of puppet performances, originally performed live at Milkwood Gallery, will also be on show as a part of a video show-reel.
28 June – 4 July 2013
The Winns Gallery
Aveling Centre, Lloyd Park
Walthamstow
London
E17 5JW
You can view some videos and pictures from our previous exhibition here on the Pack of Wolves website.
Once Upon Again was conceived by Layla Holzer
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Abstract Experiments with Light
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Experiments with Light
This is just a short spinet of some footage I’ve been filming for a film I’m working on. I’ve been developing the film idea for the last couple of months and I’m hoping to shoot it this summer.
The film is based upon a short story by Peter Carey. I’ve taken inspiration from experimental film makers such as Stan Brakhage and so you can expect the end result to be something a little surreal and abstract.
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Gangrel Style
From Spikeworld. | Spikeworld - The blog of textile artist Spike Dennis
Gangrel Style
This is just a little montage that I put together following my annual trip up to the North West Highlands this year. It was a good opportunity to familiarise myself with my new camera ahead of making a more artistic piece of film this summer.
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Caviar Crackle Album Artwork
From Spikeworld. | Spikeworld - The blog of textile artist Spike Dennis
Caviar Crackle Artwork
Toward the end of last year the Mayor of Associated Minds record label got in touch with me with regard to stitching up a sublime gold storm for the new Metabeats album Caviar Crackle.
The design was put together by Matt Joyce aka themeekshall with the Mayor and Metabeats and then handed over to me to embroider in gold thread. After creating a few test pieces on a variety of black fabrics we settled on a black velvet ground and I used some Madeira metallic thread for the type. I found that these threads were a little less prone to fraying and splitting than the DMC metallic threads that I’ve used in the past and they gave a less of a ‘crafty’ finish.
The tasty little video above was produced by Huw Caddy and the photograph for the album cover and iTunes artwork was captured by Alex Mills. It’s great to see the work expertly framed and finished and rather exciting to see my stitches in the iTunes store.
You can download the Caviar Crackle LP from the iTunes store here along with a little thumbnail copy of my stitches.
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The Brightest Star
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Acrylic, gouache and enamel paint with ink on paper.
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