in Silhouette  a recent collaboration with Dawn Youll at Gallery of Wonder Newcastle until 1st April . more info HERE


In Silhouette
new work by

Deirdre Nelson & Dawn Youll


The collaboration between Dawn Youll and Deirdre Nelson is based on a mutual interest in the narrative possibilities of each chosen craft mediums: textiles and ceramics. Over a period of 6 months there has been an exchange of ideas building up a body of visual research and inspirations relating to the many stories embedded in domestic objects. This has offered an opportunity to bring together individual practices in the creation of forms where ceramics and textiles meet. Notions of domestic service, superstition and traditions have influenced the making of the curious set of objects which question the relationship between materials in a domestic setting.  The work does not refer directly to a story but instead leaves the viewer fishing for clues as to its’ narrative.

Silhouettes of semi-familiar forms allow the viewer to question preconceptions of both ceramics and textiles provoking enquiry and wonder as to their function and scale. Textiles become part of the ceramics.  A bell form, with stitched soft damask, is rendered functionless and quiet and sealed urn-like forms are edged with fine detailed embroidered frills. A small plastic vessel stitched with silk is tied to a tall cone like form and mixes both materials and scale evoking curiosity into its own unique narrative. A pvc doyley plays with preconceived notions of materials within a traditional domestic setting.  The resulting works although familiar evoke a sense of curiosity and wonder.



Since graduating from Glasgow School of Art in 1992, Deirdre Nelson has pursued a parallel career in creating work for exhibition and commission and in working as a tutor to various groups.  Hand skills are used in the work in a humorous commentary on social and textile history within the contemporary gallery and museum. Her textile work employs a variety of techniques and materials fusing traditional textile skills and contemporary reinterpretation through photography and digital manipulation. She has been artist in residence in a variety of locations from the Outer Hebrides to Western Australia creating work for exhibition and with local communities. 

www.deirdre-nelson.com

Dawn Youll is a graduate of Glasgow School of Art and Cardiff School of Art & Design.  Her ceramic practice centres on the exploration of a personal landscape, and uses form, colour, surface and arrangement to engage with the viewer.  She is currently represented by Marsden Woo Gallery, London and she has recently represented the UK Crafts Council at the ‘Ceramics – New Generations’ exhibition in Paris, and the UK at the ‘European Ceramics Context’ exhibition in Bonholm, Denmark.

www.dawnyoull.co.uk



I am taking a break from my Wigtown words project for a short while and working on a few other projects . The high vis and retro-reflective tape are back on the scene in developing experiments from my residency last summer at Cove Park. Work will be exhibited at caa in London later in February . Writer Nicola White ( who lives close to Cove park and has knowledge of both the artists residency programme and of living close to a military base ) has been writing about the work .



R&R  retreat and residency in contemporary craft Contemporary applied arts .London 24th February- 26 March 2011

Wordbespoke:Jo's favourite word is Juicy

Happy new year to everyone .

I am now getting back into work and beginning to embroider words onto garments for Wordbespoke element of my Wigtown words project. I am working with friend and photograper Ali Bell to document the project so I will be posting images and information over the next while.  There have been many elements to the Wigtown word project and over the next while i hope to develop ways to show the work at The Book Shop in Wigtown at Spring Fling  28th - 30th May 2011

I have an exciting year ahead with work being developed from my Cove park residency summer 2010 to be exhibited in London and Sydney. I am also developing work for an exhibition 'Modern Languages' curated by Katy West with Crafts Council of Ireland and am researching Irish textiles and economy for this . Further details of whats happening next can be found HERE

wigtown words adorn the Scottish Poetry Library christmas tree in Edinburgh . The words are spreading their way around through donation to a variety of places. In 2011 they will be donated to first year visual communication students at Glasgow School of Art and I look forward to seeing what becomes of them.




The word bespoke itself is derived from the verb to bespeak, to "speak for something", in the specialized meaning "to give order for it to be made"

wordbespoke

the word is out and i have a few takers willing to have their favourite word embroidered onto a garment! each contributer is deciding on the garment and the placement of the text so watch this space for further news ....

'squiwiff' has landed inside my coat sleeve

sarah : pants 
jo: beret 
emma: wedding dress 
rebecca : wedding dress
christos: shirt
roy:jacket 




wearing your words

wearing your favourite word... a badge ?....though i have been thinking of ways to carry favourite words around. Instead of producing more new STUFF i have been wondering about stitching onto existing clothes . This would add a new dimension to an existing garment with a word which has a special connection to the owner.  The work would have an element of co-creation with the word donator.



what to call the project ?
wearing your words on your sleeve ? bespoke words ? wordbespoke ? offthepegwords?



  • favourite word 
  • garment 
  • location of embroidery 
  • size of words 







    Spring Fling 2011 preparations are under way and we are  thinking of where to show my work in Wigtown . I loved The Book shop there and had an idea to develop work which would be placed inside the bookshop  amongst the books. Thanks to Shaun at the book shop the idea is all systems go in May 2011 so i had better get planning and developing ideas further. 

    check out a wee video of the bookshop HERE





    Wordcount is an interactive presentation of the 86,800 most frequently used English words, ranked and scaled in order of commonness, and arranged side by side as one very long sentence. Each word's size reflects its frequency relative to the words that precede and follow it, giving a visual barometer of relevance. The larger the word, the more we use it. The smaller the word, the more uncommon it is'.

    jonathan harris  


    have a look at his work HERE
     wrapping a town in words

    'These typographic maps by axis maps take locating a destination to a whole new level. Each map accurately shows the location of streets and highways, parks, neighborhoods, coastlines, and other features of each city using only words. To create these impressive maps, every single letter and word was manually placed, taking hundreds of hours to complete each map.'


    I have just discovered the work of Stephanie Posavec and am really interested in how she visualises  words.  her project 'writing without words' is a project that explores methods of visually representing text and visualises the differences of writing styles of different authors.  take a look at this project and her website HERE


    discovering a piece of work by roman ondak has made me think of the varied age groups who were involved with the wigtown word project . in the participatory installation by the Slovakian artist  every visitor is encouraged to mark their height on the wall and after several months a dark band encircles the gallery.

    listen to him HERE







    Progressive decoration for your walls. Start with a grid of printed letters, and add circles around words as you find them. This wordsearch-inspired wallcovering is created by 5.5 designers. 

    g u s s e t s h a m b o l i c g e r r y m a n d e r i n g s e r e n d i p i t y s k e l l y f u s i o n l e s s f a n k l e s l i t h e r i n g p u g n a c i o u s p h l e g m m e g a b e r t l o q u a c i o u s b a n t e r p r o p i t i o u s s w i t h e r i n g p u g n a c i o u s p h l e g m m e g a b e r t l o q u a c i o u s b a n t e r p r o p i t i o u s s w i t h e r h u n k y d o r y f l e e k c a l i p i g i o u s d r e i c h c o o l  m e g a  i d i o t  j a y b o b  b e a s t  m e n t a l  h a r d  t a t t i e s  c r a z y  m a g p i e  d o o d o o  w e i r d  d u m d e e  d o g  l o o l o o  s c r e a m  p o o f a n c a t  l e a v e  b a c k f l i p  f l u f f y  c r  o p  z a n g  o o  m p a l u m p a  c o l l e c t o r  O M G  r i b e n a  s h i n  g !!! s p e c t a c u l a r  b  r i l l i a n t  a m a z i n g s q u  i d g y  s p o r t  h o r s e c r a z y g r e a t z i p p y g u i t a r b e a u t  i f u l  believe  sheep fun  chocolate  hey  fansheeptastic  sup awesome  sausages  cheese  hightops  singer  muppet  water  clootie friend weird mam weeble gruesome scrubdub bong princess cake love football ozzy scribble serendipity clipclop hello tara  africa clarty binbag wahoo oliver food zap wicked chumchumadoo lettuce fandabydosey  blob  free  kaboombay








    balloons over wigtown

    look HERE   letters made of foam flying above heads at IFA Berlin. How they're made? A foam printer...     


    A
    Amazing atlantean ambit adrenalin area aubergine armpit apple awesome annual-leave assume apricot alleviate akimbo autumnal anguish aardvark alabaster

    B
    Banter  backerties bigjessie bibliophile buarach bailar brother bumptious beast bob beautiful believe bong blob bosom baboon boomboom bleather blowin bananna bakedbeans bus basketball burger bed ban bird bat bahookie bum bowl book blab bubble burble boanthropy bamba balmy bombastic bumfluff buddies burny bun bin but booze buoyancyaid bananna

    C
    Calipigious corrieneukin cadaverous chocolate circumnavigate cardigan chutzpah crapulous chemical crimson cackle cool crazy crop collector cheese cake clipclop chumchumadoo chubby clootie cullenskink crabbit cooriein chin-o crumble clarty curious cludgie chuckling coat cat crumbs crunchy cast chips crisps cartoon chicklet chair colourful class chortle camboloza  creditcrunchie callipygous cornucopia cadaverous currywumple contentment cow  celery chiggle cuddle contentment clitoris

    D
    dick discombobulated discharge doodoo dumdee dog drums dumpling dug dum dryboke drongo denada diva drauky dreich  drathais discomknockerated discount dashing disconap

    E
    eichornchan emotional ecstatic egg excellent extravaganza essence enthusiastic elemental eejit

    F
    fusionless fankle fanny fantouche family fragrant fantouche festoon fecund fractious fricative foxed flange fink frabjous flaccid fancat feline fluffy fluff fun friend food free fandabbydosey faffing fankle freckle flower funny fiveyearsabbatical footerin fontanelle futtock
     


    gussetshambolicgerrymanderingserendipityskellyfusionlessfankleslitheringpugnaciousphlegmmega
    loquaciousbanterpropitiationsswitherhunkydoryfleekcalipigiousdreichsapphireturpinedragingthinkscunnerhorses
    phantasmagoriapeaceguddleballisticveercorrieneukincadaveroussmackeredbackertiespishsustainbigjessie
    heebyjeebyfannycheesepenisfantouchemulticulturalmaybeswanamazingsupercalafragilisticatlantean
    bibliophilemummyfamilyfragrantseasidesonmarmaleisewifeyfestoonthankslovedickmosstwochocolate




      
    word kites over wigtown

    As artist in residence at Wigtown, I spent some time asking visitors and writers at the festival for ideas of what to do next with the collected words. Robert Twigger , a fan of kites suggested making word kites and setting them to flight over Wigtown.  

    great idea !
     



    wigtown wordle 18 HERE




    using big words 

    a wall of fridge doors stacked: giant words and a ladder to reach them ...now there's an interactive / active idea??!




    there is a great interactive work by Berlin artists  TheGreenEyl 

    'A surface is covered by a large number of coloured stickers, positioned in a grid. People can remove stickers, leaving white spots in the layout, as a result individually and collectively changing the walls appearance. These stickers then take on a life of their own, as they spread, extending beyond the installation itself, infiltrating private space and merging the boundaries of public and private space.'

    have a look at the film HERE



    wigtown wordle 17      big sheep pants

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