June 26, 2009

Turkish

My ricecarpet materials 

Carpet in the middle is based on small persian rug at home

Evil Eyes

Ricecarpet "Kashan"

Detail of ricecarpet "Kashan" made with rice, beans, lentils, peas and sunflowerseeds

From the 17th of May I will be in a group-exhibition with the theme 'Turkish' in Veldhoven (NL). Next to my silkscreen prints 'In Holland stands a house', I will exhibited ricecarpets I made on location.
I spend two days making the carpets and had to restore the big one all ready. Because the theme is 'Turkish' I based all my carpets on persian rugs.

The biggest carpet is named "Kashan". It is based on a quite common theme in persian rugs, the tree of life.
The tree of life is an interesting motif, pattern or theme. On Wikipedia: The concept of a tree of life has been used in biology, religion, philosophy, and mythology. A tree of life is a common motif in various world theologies, mythologies, and philosophies. It alludes to the interconnection of all life on our planet and serves as a metaphor for common descent in the evolutionary sense. The term tree of life may also be used as a synonym for sacred tree.*
So it is a concept that can be recognized by many. I surrounded the tree with exotic birds that could also be seen as phoenixes.

The other carpets I based on a small carpet we have at home and Turkish Evil Eyes, which we keep calling Good Luck Eyes in Dutch...


* Wikipedia about Tree of Life
** For more see www.sabinebolk.nl  "Voorproefje op de Expo "Turks"" and "Opening expo "Turks" 17 mei in De Kunstpraktijk"


June 22, 2009

Was ist ist, was nicht ist ist möglich

Ricecarpet 'Windrose', slide by Koen de Wit

Books that were the inspiration for these works*

For the group-exhibition 'Was ist ist, was nicht ist ist möglich' at Artist Studiospace Rosa in Breda (NL) I made a wallpaper installation, a ricecarpet and a rice-installation. The works of rice are inspired by and based on the books I'm reading to inform me for my journey to Batik in October.

In the inside cover of the book "Bloemen van het heelal, De kleurrijke wereld van de textiel op Java"* are these beautiful drawings of Batik patterns. The book saids the patterns are from Grěsik and were drawn in 1822. I used one for my ricecarpet 'Windrose' on the floor at Rosa.
The book starts explaining Batik using a windrose. Every direction of the wind has a different colour and therefor a different meaning.  Clockwise the colours also symbolize day & night and life & death, the cycle of life. Like a rotating sun.
It starts with blue-ish black, the night and death, continuing to white. The beginning, twilight. The light red is the morning, the sunset, the beginning of young life. The bright red is maturity, the middle, adulthood.  Orange is when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. Fruits and seeds are getting ripe. With yellow its harvest time. Reap what you sow. With green or purple the night is coming, its twilight again. Grey-ish or very dark blue is near the beginning, or ending.

Compilation wallpaper installation "The journey of Batik"**


Ricecarpet 'Windrose' at Rosa in Breda (NL)

On the left "Rice from Silver bowls", right ricecarpet "Windrose"

Rosa is located in an old school building. Very inspiring and beautiful. The lucky artists working there have studios floating in daylight with enviable high ceilings. Among all this greatness it was difficult to find an location to make a work that stands out, so I chose the hallway for my wallpaper and the toilet block for my ricecarpet. In the toilet block were 4 sinks. I was working on how to make carpets, without people putting their hands in them, so I decided to fill every sink with a different types of rice. The different types of rice have different colours, black, red, white and saffron, that match perfectly with the windrose-explanation of Batik.  The novel "Rijst uit zilveren schalen" inspired me for the title. The title, translated "Rice from Silver bowls", is an expression to explain the importance of food. No matter how sad life gets or how poor you are, you should always serve your rice in Silver bowls.
Visitors really enjoyed the 'bowls' with rice, putting their hands in and pouring it, making that beautiful sound. However, it maybe help getting their hands from my work, instead someone danced barefoot in my carpet on the opening night...

* "Bloemen van het heelal, De kleurrijke wereld van de textiel op Java" by Alit Veldhuisen-Djajasoebrata & "Rijst uit zilveren schalen" by Alice M. Ekert-Rotholz
** Blogpost about the wallpaper installation 'The journey to Batik'