I am thinking about rags. and fabric. and sound. I am considering some combination of these elements as the material with which to translate ideas about grief, loss, healing, mending and repair.
Practice to me means to allow, to imagine, to try, to fail, to try again, to be curious, to engage, to repeat, to consider, to ask, to question, to experiment, to wonder. And to not have any answers.
It also means to work on, go over, refine, rehearse. Practice means continuing to develop skills with materials and methods.
In response to the question, “Does the pressing of this world-wide reset button allow space for any innovative ways to enact your practice professionally?” The answer for me is a definite yes.
Upon arrival at SAIC I had no preconceived notions as to whether I would continue painting, as I have been for the past eight years, or feel the need to branch out in new directions. After the first week of classes and visiting artist talks I am inspired to reach far and wide in new directions. Not that I know yet what form that will take - only that the urge is strong. And the sense of departure imminent. Research is the doorway to these unexplored paths.
This desire to imagine other forms of visual language is in direct response to planetary and national events of the past two years. As was said in the prompt, “Art has continued in this time of crisis.” For me this time of cracking open invites new forms of practice - to step away from the safe space of gallery walls (if only momentarily) to gather inspiration from our gathering here.
I was already investigating topics of grief and loss in my work prior to the pandemic (addressing loss through a more personal lens). Now I find myself interested in the collective social processes involved in delivering a sense of restoration and care to communities in times of great upheaval with the attendant sense of disorientation.
And back to the practice. My research needs a starting point. Back to fabric and rags. I am of Irish and Jewish descent. Family heritage has been a key interest since I was a very young child. History. Family history. I start with some traditional mourning customs from my lineage. In Judaism, when certain relatives die, there is the practice of Kriah. Kriah is the tradition of rending (tearing) garments to represent the tear in your heart when losing a loved one. It is a way to show outwardly that you are in mourning. The ragged edge of the torn garment is frayed and rag-like. In Irish tradition, supplications for healing were left at holy wells in the form of ‘clooties’ A clootie is a small strip of cloth or ribbon left as part of a healing ritual, usually by tying them to branches of the tree (called a clootie tree or rag tree).
And here’s where the interest in sound arises. In both Irish and Jewish tradition there are sounds/songs practiced for communal healing. The Niggun is a wordless chant sung collectively in Jewish tradition. And In Ireland, historically, there were women known as keening women (bean chaointe) who attended funerals to chant piercing laments for a heartbroken community.
Practice is - trial and error - with lots of room for error. So please don’t hold me to these lines of inquiry. I have lots of ideas. But these are the ones I’m most excited about after this first week of school. Professional Pratices? Hmmmm…..
Images of people in business suits going to gallerys presenting shiny portfolios is what comes to mind with these two words.
