Blue and Yellow
Our hearts go out to the beleaguered people of the Ukraine. On a personal, domestic level there seems little at this time that we, as creatives, can do to protest against President Vladimir Putin and the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine. However we are not helpless in the face of tyranny and we invite you to post a “collage of protest” on Instagram - any format, any media, it does not have to be a collage - using the hashtag #collagistsforukraine. And then, why not offer your work for sale and donate the money to a supportive aid agency such as The Red Cross, Medicine sans Frontierès, Project Cure, Unicef or Save the Children, all of whom are working against terrible odds to help those Ukrainians marooned in their slowly disintegrating country, or heading to unfathomable futures? (Be sure to donate to a recognised charity as there are many parasitic fraudster out there).
2. At the beginning of July we will be welcoming peripatetic stitcher and textile artist Anne Kelly’s workshop, MOVING MEMORIES . We still have a few places remaining for this ever-popular artist and teacher, whose own family’s exodus from a war-torn country add extra layers of relevance to her unique work and approach to creating.
My thoughts are with Ukranians, their relatives and friends, wherever they may be. Watching women and children fleeing on trains echoes and resonates with my family history. My father was nine when he and his brother were put on a train to London, fleeing the Nazi regime in Germany. The picture to the left below is a folding book about my grandmother Sophie, and was made using a copy of her passport. Anne
Places on Anne’s workshops, both in Europe and the Americas fill up quickly, so don’t delay if you would like to join her for a very special five days in the warm heart of this beautiful department of France. We will be donating 10% of the booking fee towards The Red Cross in Ukraine.
3. We’re big believers in repairing clothes not chucking them away and were pleased to find this easy-to-follow on-line tutorial. Visible mending is the opposite of hiding away your mistakes and imperfections, instead fixing problems with handmade decoration that makes the garment look different but more interesting, adding a whole new dimension to beloved clothing that will save you pennies as well as the planet.
4. Simple landscapes dotted with felt trees, miniature power lines, and spool-propelled ambulances become twinkling nightscapes and whimsically glowing scenes in “Connecting Thoughts.” The advertisement, which was created to promote the Japanese infrastructure firm Kandenko’s “Everyone Lights up the Future” message, uses Smart-X conductive thread to send electric currents through figures stitched into gloves and around yarn-based architecture, illuminating each scenario with tiny bulbs. Such fun!
5. Hemp cultivation was banned in the Thirties. But while it is now legal to grow hemp, instead of simply being ‘legal’, it should be actively encouraged. One industrial hectare of industrial hemp can absorb 15 tonnes of carbon in 100 days of growing. Margent Farm was founded in 2016 by film director and producer Steve Barron to create bio-composite materials using hemp as an alternative to plastic, fibreglass and concrete. The farm itself shows the versatility of hemp – the farmhouse is designed by Practice Architecture and made out of ‘hempcrete’, panels of hemp grown from the first year’s crop. Currently, its crop is used for construction materials as well as to make cannabis oil products (with branding by British painter and author Harland Miller), and mixed with a bio resin to make products for the home including coasters and a rather beautifully woven tray. The collaboration with Ally Capellino is a pilot, to show what can be done with hemp textiles and her backpack uses hemp for the outer shell, paired with a cotton twill lining, making the bag completely leather free and vegan friendly.
The backpack, which is priced at £230, comes in khaki or indigo, and launches during World Wellbeing Week, June 21-30. The backpack will be available to purchase from Ally Capellino, Margent Farm and The Hole & Corner Shop.
6. With Easter not too far off, you might be inspired by Stockholm-based artist Caroline Södergren to decorate a few eggs. Caroline adapts the traditional Ukrainian craft called pysanky, a wax-resist method that involves drawing a design on a clean, empty chicken, turkey, goose, or ostrich egg with hot beeswax. The shell is then dipped in multiple baths of dye and the seal washed away with oil to reveal the colorful, layered design. The technique often is combined with folk art, although Södergren illustrates her own botanical motifs, beetles, and mythical creatures that stray from traditional designs. “You have to think before you start a pattern as the different color layers must come in the right order,” she says. “If you make a mistake with the wax, it is not possible to change, and a written line is where it is. A constant challenge that makes it so fun to work with!”
7. Paul Cocksedge Studio was founded in 2004 and has won national and international acclaim for its original and innovative design, underpinned by research into the limits of technology, materials and manufacturing processes and a focus on simplicity and imagination. At the core of this focus lies an unrelenting attention to detail, a willingness to question previous assumptions about design, and an eagerness to take on a wide-ranging array of projects across the world, dealing with a variety of different objectives, budgets and regulations.
8. Tattoos have never been my thing, but whatever rocks your boat….. however, if Michele Volpi, an incredible tattoo artist from Bologna, Italy was situated just a little closer even I might be tempted. His works show so much detail, quality and variety that it's hard to describe his work other then just pure art. Michele's favorite subjects are all scientific subjects, anatomical, biological, everything from the science world.
9. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, who died at the age of 94 in January this year, was the founder of the Buddhist monastery, Plum Village, close to us here in the Dordogne. He was a global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist, revered throughout the world for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings on mindfulness and peace and his key teaching was that, through mindfulness, we can learn to live happily in the present moment—the only way to truly develop peace, both in one’s self and in the world.
FOR WARMTH
by Thich Nhat Hanh
I hold my face between my hands.
No, I am not crying.
I hold my face between my hands
to keep my loneliness warm —
two hands protecting,
two hands nourishing,
two hands to prevent
my soul from leaving me
in anger.
10. French dancer, choreographer and artistic director Sadeck Waff is known for his limb-centric performances. As part of the farewell ceremony for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, he choreographed a beautiful, precise geometric, synchronised work with 128 performers seated in wheelchairs. The dramatic music composition that accompanied the performance was created by WOODKID. ‘The week of creating and sharing with a mix of people from all walks of life has comforted me about the power and beauty of being human’. - Sadeck Waff
Before we go, we still have a few places remaining on our May workshop LAUGHTER LAB III. This truly releasing and laughter-provoking 5 days / 4 nights immersive workshop in the company of the superlative comedy improvisation company, Instant Wit! Absolutely no previous experience of acting, performing or comedy improvisation is necessary for this event, nor any desire to perform in the future - just a willingness to take part, and a general desire to access your creativity by inviting more fun, spontaneity and positivity into your life. Something we could all use a measure of at the moment!
