‘All art is magic’, Alistair Crowley
The HS6 workshop in Auckland back in January with Iris Eichenberg was sublime (11 fantastic people to be in this journey with too). Through Iris’s exquisitely crafted turn of phrase regarding our work and projects, she challenged our eyes and minds, and showed us how to look beyond; looking to review and refocus our understanding of materials, objects, intentions, narratives, values to find the knife edge of ‘enoughness’. We learnt to trust the organic process, and my favourite, don’t be afraid of being misunderstood; it’s all a part of the process of creating work, how do you let its’ power resonate within the space? Question, reflect, move or be still!
It was exhausting, invigorating, emotional, and one of the most rewarding art experiences of my life; it kicked my backside! I am still so overwhelmingly humbled that Iris is my mentor for the HS6, and having had the opportunity to meet her, listen, and to gauge the essence of her in relation to our two year communication, I feel incredibly lucky. Alongside this I got to chat/exchange ideas with Susan Videler who also is being mentored by Iris, I feel like I’ve known Susan for years along with the other Handshakers too!
One of the challenges of the workshop was to bring 4 unfinished works and one finished work which represented our current practice, and a shoe box of materials (a big one) and to use our materials (in silence for 45 minutes) to refinish or reformulate everyone’s work set out on the tables (invasive and very showing of peoples personalities). The next day, we were told to move the works around (remove what we didn’t think was fully formed) and house their categories. I found that most of the work I brought with me gravitated towards what some may call the “Woo Woo table”, but it’s more, it’s the table where the objects are ritual and belief transcends the visual and connected into the power to change a mental state when one is in a state of stress or needing reassurance.
‘Objects and jewellery have different values but when we belief and have faith in something the material and emotions become one’! Jorge Manilla. Oscure sacrifices
I started to re-evaluate my project and its direction. I knew I wanted to work with rituals and objects in witchcraft and textiles to create adornment; however, I couldn’t put my finger on the direct pulse I needed to feel, so I have gone back to basics. We all want to be nurtured to feel loved and comforted in times of stress, it gives us hope and something we can hang onto instead of drowning in a ditch of despair; this is also what the table commented on. It’s part of the human condition, and right now more relevant than ever.
Through discussions with Iris over the workshop time I have found my mind gravitating towards materials and housing their intentions. I started by looking at silk, its gentle sensual touch on the skin; velvet, more embroidery, charm necklaces, superstitions, drawing with the needle and thread, the power of knotting threads, looking at the co-dependency of objects and their dialogue between each other and how they resonate within the world they dwell in. This is where I’m at right now.
Within my practice I’m still researching women experimenting within this field, one of which is Lidia Stupart, outsider artists such as Kathleen Henderson, and writers and practitioners such as Pam Grossman, Alina Cohen (“witches can be our protectors, and witchcraft can help with healing and self care,…Practicing witchcraft is a tool for survival” Alina Cohen’s article on Artsy.net “The Photographer Capturing Intimate Images of Witches in Romania” 2019).
The questions I ask myself right now are how do I tackle this project with honour and social grace? How do I balance humble intentions with simplistically sophisticated outcomes? I guess I just walk the path to the gingerbread house (Don’t go in…well, I might pop in for a bit!) and keep going past it while transmutating my materials into something other…time for some magical thinking to become tangible!
At the workshop Iris asked us to think and formulate a manifesto for our practice, this is mine so far!
Manifesto:
-Don’t be afraid to be misunderstood, the work/object will read and resonate a different message and meaning by the viewer (Think about how the display/grouping morphs or supports the overall narrative).
-Take time to find that headspace where the good work dwells; it takes patience.
-Trust the ‘Fuzzy Buzz’ feeling of work being finished; it will tell you!
-Allow the work to sit, move past, let go, forget, relearn, make friends and go back to revaluate.
-Embrace the failure, love the mistakes, sharpen your narratives, and intentions.
-Be careful NOT to compare your ideas, skill base, material use, drive, time management, and achievements with others!
-To bring forth an intention from the mind, space/realm into a material world is to create magic!
So many thanks to Peter Deckers, Hilda Gascard,and Iris Eichenberg for your energy and time in organising the workshop, and to Renee Beven for her fantastic push/pull workshop too. x