… A R T ~ S P A R K L E T S …: March 2008

Showing newest 12 of 15 posts from March 2008. Show older posts

28.3.08

Tresses vol. II

Hair braid lithographs. Source: M. Campbell's Self Instructor in the Art of Hair-Work

'Hair, that most imperishable of all component parts of our mortal bodies, has always been regarded as a cherished memorial of the absent or lost. Impressed with this idea, it appears to us but natural, that of all the various employments devised for the fingers of our fair country-women, the manufacture of ornaments in hair must be one of the most interesting. Why should we confide to others the precious lock or tress we prize, risking its being lost, and the hair of some other person being substituted for it, when, with a little attention, we may ourselves weave it into the ornament we desire? And the dainty and very tasteful handling hair-work requires, renders it as truly feminine an occupation as the finest crochet or the richest embroidery.'

Elegant Arts for Ladies, published by Ward & Lock, 1856.

Hair braid lithographs. Source: M. Campbell's Self Instructor in the Art of Hair-Work

'APPLICATIONS OF HAIR WORK.

GUARDS
STUDS
STUD-CHAINS
SCENT-BOTTLES
WALKING-STICKS
RIDING-WHIPS.'

The Art of Ornamental Hair Work, F.L.S., 1856.

27.3.08

Tresses vol. I

Method of concealing partial baldness. U.S. Patent 4,022,227. Source: European Patent Office

'For those people who are partially bald and wish to cover the bald area, transplants, hair weaving and hairpieces are the most commonly used solutions. The cost of covering bald areas by one of these methods can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars depending on a person's choice and financial means. Some of these commonly used bald area coverings require periodic care, which generally costs money. Obviously a partially bald person without the financial means can not afford the luxury of such hair coverings. This person, therefore, has few options; he can attempt to use his own hair to cover the bald area, but generally most people do not have the ability to properly plan a hair style that will look good, and most attempts result in brushing the hair in one direction over the bald area, or he can allow his baldness to show.'

Method of concealing partial baldness. U.S. Patent 4,022,227

Hair tutorial: Drawing the Updo Hair. Source: Gas 13

Hair tutorial: Drawing the Human Hair. Source: Gas 13

Source: Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Britain

Still hankering after hair. Been collecting interesting renderings. There's some pretty special stuff out there…

That there exists a patent for the lowly comb-over? I'm not sure how that can possibly work.

Photoshopped hair dos floating in space, unattached to face or scalp. I love them.

A leaflet for the Jehova's Witnesses delivered through the door in Bristol and then again in Falmouth. Jesus Christ has the softest looking beard I've ever come across.

25.3.08

Roofs & Gloom

Assortment © Lizzie Ridout

'In making for ourselves a place to live, we first spread a parasol to throw a shadow on the earth, and in the pale light of the shadow we put together a house. There are of course roofs on Western houses too, but they are less to keep off the sun than to keep off the wind and the dew; even from without it is apparent that they are built to create as few shadows as possible and to expose the interior to as much light as possible. If the roof of a Japanese house is a parasol, the roof of a Western house is no more than a cap, with as small a visor as possible so as to allow the sunlight to penetrate directly beneath the eaves… A light room would no doubt have been more convenient for us, too, than a dark room. The quality that we call beauty, however, must always grow from the realities of life, and our ancestors, forced to live in dark rooms, presently came to discover beauty in shadows, ultimately to guide shadows towards beauty's ends.'

In Praise of Shadows, Junichiro Tanizaki

23.3.08

The Mexico Chapters: Warm Regards

Anne's Yellow Bird, Tlalpan, Mexico 2007

A rather wobbly harbinger for spring?

I hate caged birds. At worst seeing them makes me cry. Actual tears. At best I just feel monumentally depressed. But this little guy had a voice on him... a real belter. And from the moment I woke up to the moment I covered his cage with a cloth and then fell asleep myself, while he was present in our little clay house, he wouldn't let me forget him.

[Note to self: Buy a tabletop tripod before the next trip.]

21.3.08

Chiaroscuro vol. III

"…Behaving properly, though still a little creased."

19.3.08

We spoke of typewriters and things

These must be now nearly eight years old now. I made them wrapped in a duvet in the garden of a manor house out near Argal lake. All day, every day, until it got dark. Scores of variations. M's marching arm in arm across the page.

Time spent loving letters. The letter 'm' had a whole term dedicated to it. First typewriters, then letterpress. But then it is a pretty special letter. Particularly on a typewriter, where it's the only letter that whilst normally wider than all the other lowercases, in these circumstances is crammed into a space the same size as its far narrower brothers and sisters. Tubby little broad-hipped m. Something nice about his strokes. Something nice about his zebra stripes.

Thanks to Gabriele and her Gabriele and reminding me of this old box of stuff.

Chorus - Gabriele Beveridge

And Mr L., who spent many afternoons with me talking about old films and cinemas, and most importantly, typewriters. I wish I had come by that last day, rather than just thinking about it.

17.3.08

Muffel

Images © The Wenceslaus Hollar Digital Collection via Florizelle

requiescant in pace

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Mr Luton

*

Reuben

*

Mollie

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

13.3.08

The Mexico Chapters: They Chose Words…

Mexico 2007

But they couldn't entirely dispense with images…

12.3.08

The Mexico Chapters: Coif

And snipping out hair-cuts too.

The Mexico Chapters: Limbs Vol. I

Spent many a late night in my bed in Mexico cutting a selection of limbs out of local papers. I'm not sure why. I'm going to stop asking myself what will happen to them, I'm just going to keep snipping and see where it ends up.

11.3.08

Book

Not something I normally do on this blog, mix my own doing and thinking with my teaching. Although in real life the two things are intrinsically linked. But to be honest, this year's been almost full-time teaching and perhaps it's about time I try to explain what else I've been throwing my creative talents at. Or rather, why I haven't made so much of my own stuff recently. I suspect this will be an isolated post, I don't want to make a regular thing of it, but come assessment this term I felt so inordinately proud at what my University College Falmouth level one students had managed to achieve in four weeks, that I just wanted to represent in it in some way. I'm literally fluffed up with gratification, like a mother hen. In some ways it's wrong to glow in their reflected glory, because the work is all down to their hard graft. But at the same time, with all these students, I was involved in the conversation. It's a really, really good feeling to help people fly.

All 88 odd books are being shown at UCF in Fox 4 Woodlane Campus until this Thursday (13/3) and are based around a single personal memory.