Project 1: Assemblage
Collect at least two found materials/everyday objects, reflect on their their meaning or context, put them together to create a new object/image that carries new meaning
And then….
Sarah warned us this would happen…something unexpected comes along…in my case I was a visit to a dear friend who offered me a shimmery maroon bedspread!
All of a sudden I saw a coat. As I let my ideas grow, I imagined making a big , cozy, zero waste coat on the theme of ‘Building Safety’.
The idea of building safety comes from my experiences with PTSD and the healing that is ongoing. A big part of this is finding safe places, both physically and emotionally in which I can grow and heal. So the garment will be symbolic of this.
As I read up on zero waste coats, I discovered several mentions of a bog coat or bog jacket that is based on a 2,000 year old bronze age garment. This got me even more excited!
I thought about what kind of symbols I might be able to incorporate. As I mulled over what other object I could combine in this assemblage, I recalled an old vegetable steamer that has a piece that persistently falls off despite my best efforts at repair. I envisaged dismantling this and sewing the individual fins onto the back of the coat in a sunshine or shield array to represent courage and strength. So I took the steamer apart and washed the pieces well.
It just happens that this steamer belonged to my Grandma May who has been showing up as a source of support and love in my life and art lately, despite being long departed. This gives a sacred aspect to the object and added meaning to my garment.
I may add more objects to the assemblage but for now this is a start. For example I have some old dog tags from my last dog, Kenzie and my present dog, Magnus, that might be fun to include.
As I got into the practicalities of construction I realised that I would modify the garment design to create more of a cloak as the fabric lent itself to this. So I trimmed the quilt down to size and sewed binding down both sides using an industrial sewing machine. I then designed, cut and bound the neck and shoulders of the garment.
I tried different lay outs of the shield and tags before sewing them in place by hand
Building Safety
Assemblage Performance Piece
Shield in the back and heart journey on front
Details- heart of African wax cloth (from my daughter) and dog tags (from my past dog, Kenzie, and my present dog, Magnus)
During my presentation I wore my cloak and read some poems relating to feelings of safety. Here are two of them:
Magnus
.
He walks me through days
he knows me better
than I know myself
he has a heart full of love
he knows no other way
.
In times when I feels lost
he comes to find me
he reminds me we are two
and I don’t need to feel alone
.
He is my friend and my guide
I never thought we’d come this far
and now we’ve passed the test
we can walk on side by side
.
He carries the love of ancestors
he gives me safety beyond measure
he walks me through days
he knows me better
than I know myself
.
By Carys Owen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crickets
.
Crickets sing like choirs of angels
speaking the heartbeat of
this quiet corner
where I have landed
where I am settling in
where the uncertainties of last year
are absorbed by the green
where I can breathe easy once again
let my guard down
and fall into the safety of home
.
The cricket song goes on
swimming in the silence
effortlessly keeping time
reminding my heart to beat well
~free from anxiety and fear
.
This is a place I can live
sharing space with bears and deer
watchinig the sun sink
behind the mountains
loving the calm of a country road
and the blank page it presents
.
By Carys Owen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I also wrote a poem about the process of creating ‘Building Safety’:
Assemblage
.
‘Would you like this bedspread?’
my friend said to me…
and all I could see was
a big cozy coat
~ an assemblage of memories~
.
I pictured a shield on the back
for safety and something
on the front, as yet unknown
.
I let my brain relax
and wandered through days
until I recalled a broken
vegetable steamer that
might just be sewable
on the back of the coat
as a shield
.
While I dismantled and cleaned it
I realised it had come from
Grandma’s house many years ago
and so my story of building safety
grew with each new addition
.
I cut and sewed, sewed and cut
and created a basic shape
.
It was plain to see the front
was lacking and I waited
once more for inspiration
~ something cool, something bright~
an image came to me of the gorgeous
wax cloth Kirsty brought from DR Congo
stowed in a box of useful oddments
.
I fished it out, happy to see
a few pieces remained after
the mask-making of 2020,
and lovingly trimmed them
into hearts before arranging them
to come over one shoulder
and sweep around to the left
~ a heart above my heart~
.
The few empty spaces
were adorned with dog tags
saved over the years
~small finishing touches
with big meaning
.
I smiled to see such an unlikely
assembly of objects sitting together
as one finished garment
rich with memory and connection
.
It might not be a fancy coat
or a finely sewn one
.
It might not be the height of fashion
or the latest trend
.
But it is mine
~ a cozy coat, built of safety
with my own hands
with help from friends
sewn with love and story
.
By Carys Owen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Final Comments:
As I stated at the beginning of this post : The idea of ‘building safety’ comes from my experiences with PTSD and the healing that is ongoing. A big part of this is finding safe places, both physically and emotionally in which I can grow and heal. So the garment is symbolic of this.
Beyond this initial idea, I discovered that all the materials I worked with carried special meaning for me- having come from loved ones who support and nurture my well being.
Allowing the project to develop organically meant that I combined and unlikely combination of objects that ultimately went together to form a very pleasing whole.
It felt really good to wear the cloak during my presentation and it gave me some comfort as I shared very personal experiences through reading my poetry to the group.
One way to progress this project will be to make recordings of my poetry and attach them to QR codes so that they could be experienced in an exhibition setting.
Another thing I thought of is to make a head-dress of greenery from the forest to complete the outfit. The forest is a place of solace and inspiration for me.
On reflection, I think my research into Rebecca Belmore’s art inspired me to create a garment with profound meaning and to add a performative aspect to the artwork.