Hyperbolic Coral Reef- experimental mathematics through craft

There is a great exhibition on at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney called "Hyperbolic Coral Reef".

The Hyperbolic Coral Reef is part of a global project initiated by the discovery that crotchet is the most effective way of creating a model of algorithmic fractals. Hyperbolic crotchet was discovered by mathematician Dr. Daina Taimina a mathematician at Cornell in the U.S. Before Dr Taimina's discovery mathematicians believed that it was impossible to make a model of hyperbolic forms. These forms ave been observed many times in nature and serve the purpose of maximizing surface area for the volume of the organisms creating a greater opportunity for filter feeding. Many organisms such as kelps, corals, and nudibranchs use hyperbolic geometry in their underlying structures.

"Though experience often serves as a guide, there is no way to know in advance what a specific algorithm will produce and we have many times been surprised when seemingly insignificant changes in the underlying pattern led to fundamentally new results. In a very real sense, this is a kind of experimental mathematics and we invite crocheters everywhere to explore for themselves the possibilities inherent in these techniques."
From the Institute for Figuring website


I have long suspected that my Mum who is brilliant at handicraft among other things has a had secret knowledge of the universe...... Sitting there for years with all sorts of things forming out of wool and thread she was engaged in more than I could have ever imagined!

Anyone can take part in this global project. Just click on the links in this post.

Maleny Hand Made

In view of my previous post I thought I'd mention a few of local things I think are great for Christmas (or any time of year for that mater!)


Kindling
are Nina and James who design sustainable ethical products. Thier t-shirts are beautiful and they have a unique range of cards and other fabric products. Nina says
"Inspired by the good ‘ol days (when you could buy a telly that lasted sixteen years) we aim for sustainability and ethical practice . No short cuts, no factories, just quality for longevity and life."



Mukti has been developing her range of organic skincare for the last 8 years when founder Mukti became frustrated at the lack of choice available for ethically produced organic skincare.
Mukti is a great ethical company that supports ethical organisations locally and globally.
Mukti says...
We create…

* handcrafted products made fresh daily
* products that feed and nurture the skin
* labels that state all ingredients

We believe in…

* love
* truth and transparency
* recycling
* renewable resources
* sustainability
* buying back carbon emissions
* social responsibility by assigning a portion of our profits to charities with which we are aligned

We avoid…

* lies
* negative speech and actions
* harming others
* nasties – petrochemicals, synthetics, fragrances, GMO’s
* unrealistic, untruthful marketing claims




Audrey and Rose is the creation of Sarah Rayner and Lee Sisson. Inspired by classic design from the 40's 50's and 60's, Audrey and Rose handbags, jewels and homewares are beautifully crafted, locally made, sustainably sourced and just plain fabulous.




Fliss Dodd makes her witty beautiful toys from recycled and vintage fabrics mixed with delicate, patterned Japanese fabric. A committed environmentalist and wonderful gardener Fliss has an interesting blog called Udder

Most of this is within 10 minutes walk of my front door. And...those of you who live far away if this hasn't convinced you to come on holiday to Queensland I don't know what will. We also have beautiful golden beaches stretching for miles, sunny weather and tropical fruit!

Pomme

I had a lovely visit the other day from Sue who owns and curates gallery Pomme on the Mornington Peninsula.

Our house was in more disarray than usual, as soon as Sue pulled up a huge truck full of furniture from my Grandmother (who is moving) arrived. A Genoa lounge, Art Deco table, with matching chairs and sideboard later we sat down with avocado on toast and talked about the beautiful Mornington Peninsula and Sue's plans for Pomme next year.

She has an idea for something exciting so I'll keep you posted. In the mean time have a look at her lovely website.

Pomme features jewellers such as Flick Pope



Contemporary craft artists such as Emma Davies



and ceramicist Sophie Milne


amongst many others.

Home Beautiful Product of the Year Award

Some of the Magnolia pots have been chosen as one of three finalists for the Home Beautiful Product of the Year Award. This is a strange place for the handmade, amidst the factory manufactured "Designer" works, but I am always advocating that art can and should be part of life, that the handmade, individual can have a voice and a presence amidst the mass-produced.



Only when artists are willing to enter the surging river of consumer goods and navigate these tumbling rapids will "ordinary" people be exposed to the joy, individualism, warmth and tactility of the handmade..........

I wrote this in an essay about this very subject...
"The value that these pots bring into our lives has changed from being pure necessity, when the town potter was as essential as the baker or the farrier to handmade pots performing a spiritual function. The presence of handmade domestic ware has become a symbol of the link between artist and community, the importance of a skill that takes time to learn, a calm, individual voice amid the mass-produced. In this world of fast food, and corporate control of “good taste “ in everything from clothing to home wares the handmade pot represents an investment in individualism, an aesthetic that values patience and celebrates humanity in objects."

The exhibition of the these awards is showing at Bondi Junction Westfield Shopping Centre in Sydney!

In the Making

Craft Victoria is currently running in a "Month About Making". A celebration of the handmade.

This event includes an exhibition that I am part of. "In the Making" exhibits the work of 130 members of Craft Victoria and is a great snapshot of contemporary craft in Australia. From Helen Braun's tender ball of twine made from fragile lunch wrap....



.....to Simone Braund's beautiful spiral slab porcelain to......



.....Felicity Peter's chrysanthemum ring.



This exhibition encompasses the diversity of practice and ideas that Craft Victoria supports. You can see the whole catalogue and read the makers statements here.

Nothing, but nothing is too good for these chickens!

Last week the Marauders and I went to visit my friend Renee Blackwell. Renee's husband is a boat builder and their house is a combination of amazing joinery and tricky enviro-systems which run the solar power, composting sewage and rainwater collection.

One of the many things I love about Renee's partner is his enthusiasm for his craft. This is the Balinese temple style gate he built for the chicken house!



Beautiful huh?

It is made from two contrasting woods and the detail and finish of this gate is simple and stunningly beautiful. It is these small details all around Renee's property that continually remind me of the pleasure there is the handmade.

degustation

Things I'm loving on the Web right now...
Lebouton's beautiful clothes and Lisa's blog.




Abigail Piercy. Glasgow jeweler and nature lover. I think her pieces capture both the delicacy and strength and fecundity of nature. Horse Chestnuts are a tree I have very fond memories of. I saw the Horse Chestnuts flower three times when I lived in England and the cycle of the sticky buds unfurling upward and one day, suddenly flopping out in an extravagant green tutu marked the passing of each year away from home.





Mia E Goransson. Swedish ceramicist.




Gesundheit- Martina Thornhill's beautiful kids clothes.

odd piles of plenty

This coming season of excess has made me think about plenty, multiples and piles. Is it some ancient primal urge from times of scarcity that leads us humans to be so fascinated with multiples?

Many things create random patterns, leading the eyes to make more formal patterns of pebbles on a beach or piles of folded washing. You can clearly see this process in beautiful aboriginal paintings where multiples become formal, rhythmic pattern. Maybe our longing for multiplicity is simply an yearning towards order , the continuous human struggle against EM Foster's "Chaos and Emptiness"?




Sometimes art can emulate this feeling of wonder at many by isolating a single or a few. In this way the whole universe of pebbles on the beach can be ours through the delicate jewelery of Rebbecca Ward,



The mystery of a flock of ravens translated into a single bird by Sleeping Forest.



Or the luxury of a pile of knitted jumpers translated into porcelain by Alyssa Ettinger.






Amazing photos of odd piles of plenty by Tim Walker

Shock- proof , shit detector

The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof, shit detector. This is the writer's radar and all great writers have had it.
Ernest Hemmingway

This quote from Hemmingway is something all artists could learn from. Being your own best and harshest critic is an essential survival skill in the rough and tumble of the art world. But it is important to be realistic. When I studied painting at college there was a whiff of the attitude that every piece you make should be a masterpiece, that working for years on one artwork was OK as long as it was great in the end. To me this smacks of the dilettante and hobbyist rather than the serious artist. Great artists from the past have mostly all worked hard, spruiking themselves, finding patrons and producing work so that they might survive. The work that you produce should be the product of thought , design and the skill of the artist. To be professional means that even when you are not inspired, you can still produce professional, beautiful work.
...And sometimes the gods are with you and there will be amazing pieces that transcend the technical aspects and become masterpieces.

Could these magnificent robots from the Bennett Robotworks be "Shock- proof , shit detectors"? I don't know but I think I could use one of these around the house!

Throwing

I'm just about to go go downstairs and start throwing pots. I've been throwing for about 15 years now and it has become one of those activities like making tea that are just inherently soothing.

Throwing and I have a history, I've thrown in all different houses from Paddington in Brisbane to St Albans in England. I threw when I was but a girl , before I travelled overseas. I threw as my body changed and I waxed enormous during two pregnancies and now I throw when I'm talking to Fizzy D or thinking "I must get upstairs to feed Sweet Pea" I love having physical mastery over my materials ( although I never take it for granted, the clay can still surprise me). I was always hopeless at ball games throughout my childhood and the physical side of handling clay is a constant pleasure.


From the moment I sat at the wheel and made a wonky , thick pot I was hooked on this activity, I hope I'm still throwing when I'm 80, and have stringy old arms and long grey plaits.

(The nest jugs are showing at Salmon Galleries in McMahons Point, Sydney)

pastizi and pots in Sydney

I went to Sydney on the weekend.
We packed the kids and descended on my marvellous brother and his one bedroom flat for four days. It was a huge trip but when you are an exhausted parent- artist it is really worth making the effort to do these things. It affirms the fact that there is more to life than toilet training and paying bills.

My favourite parts were pastizi with brother and sister at the Maltese Cafe in Surry Hills.


Wandering around the Harbour in Birchgrove playing our favourite game of "I could live there!" with the stone convict cottages and wooden houses overlooking the water. And ........
seeing the pots of Jane Sawyer and Andrew Halford at Freeland Gallery.


I've written about Jane Sawyer's wonderful thrown terracotta and slip vessels before. In this latest work Sawyer has captured movement in clay. The terracotta slab pots epitomize what it is to be a potter. They are thrown then cut off the base and flattened out. The firing process causes the pots to curl up again at the edges with the memory of their old shape. The finger holes in these pots create an almost violent punctuation, but when you put your fingers through them your whole hand is drawn into the vessel, through the soft, smooth texture of the slip and glaze. This drawing of the hands into the pot then creates an impetus to lift it up. These pots are so clever and funny and beautiful . An abstract drawing of tensions - pulling the wall of the pot up, flattening it out to make a platter, the drawing together of the hands through the finger holes and the final impulsive lift this creates.

The other Sawyer vessels I was very attracted to were the double walled, pillow bowls. I love the use of the hard medium of clay to create something so soft. Once again these pots seem to contain a gentle humor , playing with the viewer/user, inviting them to touch and consider the nature of the material and the relationship of this shape to the human body.

looking glass

Mason Jars, originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

For a few years now I have been collecting glass jars- I guess vintage could be an exaggerated word for them but they are a great thing to collect as they are very cheap and very useful. The most ordinary things take on a strange beauty encased in glass.

(The lovely photo of the Mason Jars are unfortunately not mine, they are from Flickr)

Everyday Sublime

today is australia day, tomorrow is grocery day, originally uploaded by Saffron.

Today I had a lamington for breakfast from one of our local bakeries and it led me to reflect on the old aussie country town bakery and wonder why someone who doesn't care about bread would become a baker. When run by an inspired foodie the Aussie country bakery is truly an inspiring place, cream buns with real cream, steak pies full of rich gravy and actual chunks of meat and lovely, fluffy lamingtons, the cake slightly yellow from the real eggs used in the sponge, fresh dessicated coconut and a juicy layer of chocolate sauce, creating a gooey barrier between the coconut and the sponge. (I've thought a lot about this!) Unfortunately many lamingtons are not like this and seem to be an excuse to use up any stale old sponge cake the baker has lying around.

The lack of a good lamington is symbolic of the lack of good solid , locally made crafted products in every area of our lives. When you take your stale cake lamington home and eat it off your Ikea plate that is not really quite the right size and the glaze is chipping off, drink your tea bag tea out of a manufactured mug whos rim is slightly too thick for comfort and add milk that is at least seven days old and comes from a corporate farm thousands of miles away you are wasting an opportunity to experience what I call the Everyday Sublime. These little moments each day when you can relax should be enhanced by the finest, freshest (and that usually means local and often organic), handmade items you can find. As one of my cash- poor friends once said
"When you are poor you can't afford to be cheap."

Everybody Cares What You Had for Lunch

I saw a book at the library yesterday called "No-one Cares What you had For Lunch". It is about blogging and how bloggers get stuck, the author, Margaret Mason thinks that you shouldn't waste your blog space with boring bits and pieces about what you had for lunch etc. In the craft world bloggers are desperately interested in what others had for lunch- Sometimes just a brief look at Tummy Rumbles, descriptions of food can cheer me up and provide thought provoking conversation for days amongst my blogging friends. Jen Causey's Simply Photo gets me salivating and I also love Port2port's recipes and down to earth exchanges regarding the all important subject of Lunch, Breakfast, Dinner or for that matter Snacks.
(photo by Jennifer Causey)


I think the frank exchange of delicious things is a wonderful way of connecting the cyber world to the earthy, burpy real world of the craft artist. Way back in the mists of time I was doing a Masters Degree and the subject of my thesis was the pretty obscure study of "...contemporary women novelists and how food and cooking are used as a means of communication in their novels." (Ann Tyler and Helen Garner were two of the novelists I studied.) I've left the brow furrowing world of academia far behind me but I still think that communication through food is very subtle, immediate and important. From breastfeeding to wedding feasts to helping some-one you care about calm down with a cup of tea , this is a language we all understand. That is one of the main reasons I love making domestic pots.

Today I did not have a very exciting lunch. But this is what I wish I had for lunch...
(photo once again by Jennifer Causey)
Pretty all my favourite lunches involve some combination of bread and cheese.

Actually I think every one should care what you had for lunch- What did you have?

strange creatures

Gillian Bencke makes crazy dolls and brooches with mysterious stories attached.




I love these... they pique my interest.



She uses scraps of vintage fabric and buttons linking the homely art of sewing to a weird and wonderful world of crazy princesses, harassed mummy's and odd, beautiful , lonely, happy people. It's like her dolls are the twisted strange true selves we all hide from the world.

the beautiful mechanics of the everyday

A few years ago when Trevor was in charge of the Christmas Pudding making he left the house to go shopping and the pudding was burned black, a sort of superstick surface on the bottom of the the saucepan. In a very bad mood I told him to go downtown and not to come back without a Christmas Pudding. Trevor slunk out of the house and swaggered back in an hour or so late - empty handed, but with an incredibly supercilious expression and announced that the puddings would be arriving this afternoon. And what do you know? That very afternoon 2 beautiful homemade Christmas Puddings appeared on our doorstep.
How did this happen? Well, in typical Trevor style he had gone down town and there was not a pudding to be found but someone said "I think little D makes puddings." So Trev went racing from cafe to cafe in search of Little D. Eventually giving up and walking down the street contemplating how to break the news to his mad wife Trevor heard a voice behind him saying "Excuse me ? Did you want a Christmas Pudding?" It was Little D and ever since in about October when we see him in the street we put our order in and around Christmas receive 2 handcrafted puddings.


The point of this long story is that there are crafts people throughout our community, making all kinds of amazing things with thought and care. These things, a perfect pudding, a wonderfully trimmed piece of meat from the butcher, homemade goats cheese, an elegant and practical solution to guttering, doors that close properly, add texture, charm and quality to our lives. As artists I feel we are part of this web of people entering homes,and affecting lives. This is a very powerful responsibility and the work of "good "crafting, creating art that works on a practical level as well as an intellectual one is central to my work as a ceramicist. I love the thought of my work in someone's home, comforting them after a long hard day, or piquing their interest as they idly sip their tea in the morning. This is my way of affecting the environment we live in. Although it's subtle, objects in the hands and the home can have a powerful, meaningful effect on the wider world.



Jennifer Causey's photographs illustrate this principle perfectly. Combining the sacred and the mundane, giving insight into the beautiful mechanics of the everyday.

In My Neighbourhood

I live in the country but as a result of the internet and fabulous real life friends I don't feel isolated from the wonderful world of craft and design.

The other day I drove (for the first time ever by myself- at the ripe old age of 34 I finally have my drivers licence) to my friend Renee Blackwell's house and spent an inspiring few hours talking to her about her recent bead buying trip to South America. Buenos Aires sounds like an amazing city and Renee picked up an array of wonderful things for her bead and pendant designs including some amazing sets of vintage couturier mother-of -pearl buttons from the 1960's. We spent a long time going through Renee's 1000's of little drawers going "Wow! What's this?"