earthWorks series 1
Bangalore
640 x 510
Folding, burying and distressing paper, stitching, collage;
Khadi papers, mosquito gauze, cotton cords and tape,
hemp twine, coconut twine, old hand-embroidered and woven textile fragments,
thorns, cowry shells, earth pigments, powder pigments
scraped from walls of village dwellings, pva glue
After I published the last post – about Deb Haugen’s organic art – it occurred to me that I too had a series of works that could be called “organic art.”
While teaching art and design in India it became apparent to me that many of my students couldn’t afford the cost of expensive art materials. How could I make them curious about the possibility of only using items that were very cheap at the village markets, or that could be found lying around? It was an interesting challenge for me as well!
I call these pieces ‘earthWorks’ because, after folding the local hand-made Khadi paper, I buried it in the mud for some days and allowed the natural pigments to stain the distressed folds. There was also some rubbing and pounding involved! The finished pieces speak of many aspects of the Indian culture – including its pervasive hand-made crafts and the way everything is folded up for storage.
earthWorks series 3
Rishi Valley
640 x 510
Folding, burying and distressing paper, stitching, collage;
Khadi papers, mosquito gauze, cotton cords and tape,
old hand-embroidered and woven textile fragments,
thorns, pva glue, earth pigments,
powder pigments scraped from walls of village dwellings
miriam louisa simons 