"Big tubes like Titanic's funnel/smoke stacks hanging from high above, and folks possibly walking into and/or standing inside them, looking up" idea split into two when I realized my maximum reach on the loom is a tad short of 80cm, with which I can weave a double-weave tube of less than 50cm in diameter; too cozy to stand inside. So:
"Tube"
This is the stand-inside piece, which will consist of a few pieces of wide cloth, say 70-80cm, hung from the rafter to create a tube/tent with a minimum diameter at the bottom of 90cm. I want to weave something that will make people look up, but I haven't figured out why I want folks to look up when they step inside my tube, while outside it there's a lovely 3.60m to the rafter, almost twice that to the apex of the ceiling! For now, some of the ideas are bottom-of-the-sea/tsunami and kaleidoscope, but very early days for this one.
"Pillars"
This is the funnel/smoke stack half: a series of tall white tubes/banners hanging from the rafters in harmony, looking big and pretty. While I'm still attached to the original picture, and even though I swore off concepts, it has been impossible for me to escape the Christchurch/Japan events and I find myself unintentionally combining this project with photos from these devastated regions. (No, Ronnie Martin, the irony is not lost on me!!) And I can't stop thinking about this project.
As of this morning, the main concerns are:
1) I prefer banners over tubes so I don't have to sacrifice shafts and banners are easier to hang, but are these the right reasons?;
2) I prefer five to seven not-so-wide banners over fewer, wider ones, but that means longer weaving time;
3) Size/proportion is crucial in this project so I'll probably have to go into the gallery with several widths of paper, and finally;
4) Where do I aim on the "pretty"-expressive/picturesque/realistic spectrum; again, much sampling required.
Collaborative Book
We are going to have one collaborative piece, each of us creating two smallish pieces which will be combined to create a "book". Though it's up to each individual to come up with theme/subject, Ronnie threw in the idea of a self-portrait at one point, so I've been investigating that possibility in the most general terms. This is the piece I would feel most comfortable straying from my "pretty" creed.
"Friends(hip)"
This is the project based on the collection of one yard/meter of your yarns. I had a vague idea of making a talisman or a small bag, something small I can carry with me but not a fashion item. But with unfamiliar exotic yarns arriving, I have no idea where this is going, so I made guidelines, which may or may not be changed later:
1) All yarns are to go into one work;
2) The finished piece will not be a convenient wall piece where all your yarns will be used as wefts in a generic warp, and;
3) I hope, I hope, it can make it "pretty".
The yarns looked so cute and copy in one zip log bag but this weekend the time came to start thinking about this seriously so they morphed into an ever-changing mind map.
I'm thinking of weaving small facsimile versions of the "Tube" and/or "Pillar" panels as scarves.
"Father, Professor, Patient"
Time permitting, I might consider picking this up where I left off and see if it can become a piece that will fit into the exhibition. I might have to use super thick yarns for "Tube" and "Pillars" to get that far.
Six months minus three days to go.
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