'torqued and tethered ...' flies again ...

Last week I completed my annual installation in the window of UniT at the Natick Mall.  This year Eujin, the owner of this inspiring shop, and I decided to feature my sculpture, 'torqued and tethered ...' in the wake of the political shifts and recent threats to women's rights, reproduction rights and human rights in general.

'breaking open . . .' Fountain Street Fine Art (2013)

'torqued and tethered ...' was first exhibited at 'breaking open ...' in 2013, at Fountain Street Fine Arts, Framingham, MA.  For that exhibit the entire dress was pinned down to the ground by rocks, the 'dress' was trapped, straining to get free.  It was during that exhibition that I was nearing the end of a long and intense divorce process and I was feeling very burned by the excepted and traditional roles for a woman, so it follows that the sculpture was trapped and in distress.

'torqued and tethered ...' during installation , Uni-T, present

Since that exhibit and the completion of my divorce, when I have installed 'torqued and tethered ...' not all the ribbons are held to the ground, trapped under the rocks.  At first I didn't think much of it, however on reflection this change reflects where I was personally in my life's journey. It could also be said that showing some of the ribbons free while some of the ribbons are still trapped can reflect the  truths of women's rights in general, there have been some advances but there is still a great struggle.

Below is a more elaborate description of the sculpture that I wrote when it was exhibited at the South Shore Arts Center, Cohasset, MA, in their exhibit, Forever & After, in 2015.

'torqued and tethered ...' SSAC, 2015

For the present, 'torqued and tethered ...'  can be seen in the window of Uni-T surrounded by photographs from my 'dailydress' series, ephemeral dresses made during the course of my day, created, photographed and then left to dissipate back into the landscape...



'torqued and tethered . . .' is the first of my dress sculpture where I played with the scale and shape of the dress. For this piece the bodice is stunted, emaciated, twisted and tortured. The sculpture hangs by only one of the shoulder straps, the other strap sags, defeated, exhausted. The way the bodice hangs the viewer can see in, under and through her; all is exposed. Being white, there is the suggestion of seeing bone.

'torqued and tethered . . .'
behind 'metamorphosis . . . '

The skirt of the dress is created by ribbons that hang from the bottom of the bodice. These ribbons strain against the rocks which have hold the ribbons to the floor; grounding her, repressing her, when all she really wants to do is to fly, to be free.
I usually do not like to share my thoughts about a pieces so that the viewer can have their own personal experience with the sculpture, so I will attempt to leave something for the imagination. However I feel very strongly about 'torqued and tethered . . .'

Lady Forrest 1876, Victorian style dress 

This sculpture speaks to the omnipresent and destructive messages directed at young girls/women,
from the media (TV, movie, advertisements, ...), society, many religions and possibly family. The dress is white to implying the many cultural traditions where a girl or woman wears a white dress that represents purity, goodness, respectability and virtue. Usually a white dress is worn for baptisms, first communions, confirmations, debutante cotillions, some graduations and, and of course,  a white dress is worn in a traditional wedding.

'torqued and tethered . . . ', for me, represents an innocent young spirit/girl who has been pinned down by rules, expectations, dogma and traditions and who has twisted and tortured herself trying to free herself and just be who is authentically is; she just wants to soar!!!

'torqued and tethered ...' SSAC, 2015

links:

Fountain Street: www.fsfaboston.com

Uni-T, Natick Collection: www.shopuni-t.com

South Shore Arts Center, Cohasset, MA:www.ssac.org/

peace

the bustier is leaving the building ... the story behind the first eggshell dress

'eggshell dress ...' (2008)

me, removing my 'eggshell bustier...' from Renew Arts & Industry ...

the beginning .....

Just a few of the headlines from April 2007:

• College Student Guns Down Dozens in Virginia (April 16): Male student kills two in a Virginia Tech dorm. Two hours later, he kills 30 more in a classroom building before committing suicide. The shooting rampage is the most deadly in U.S. history. Fifteen others are wounded.

• Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Abortion Procedure (April 18): The ruling, 5–4, which upholds the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, a federal law passed in 2003, is the first to ban a specific type of abortion procedure. Writing in the majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy said, "The act expresses respect for the dignity of human life."Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who dissents, called the decision "alarming" and said it is "so at odds with our jurisprudence" that it "should not have staying power."

• Earthquake and Tsunami Strike the Solomon Islands (April 3): Magnitude 8.0 earthquake and tsunami that follows kill at least 20 people and destroy villages.

• U.S. Squadron Hit by Suicide Bombers in Iraq (April 24): Nine U.S. soldiers are killed and at least 20 are wounded by two bombers attacking an American post in Diyala.

• Bombs Kill Nearly 200 in Baghdad (April 18): Five bombs targeting Shiite neighborhoods ravage the Iraqi capital in the worst violence in weeks. One bomb alone kills about 140 in Sadr City area.

• Bombs Kill Dozens in Algeria (April 11): Some 35 people are killed and hundreds are wounded when suicide bombers attack a government building in the capital, Algiers, and a police station on the outskirts of the capital. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claims responsibility for the attack.

It was April 2007 .... the Iraq war was a never ending quagmire, Mother Nature was making herself heard with Tsunamis, snow storms and tornados, taking lives and property, a male student went on a shooting spree on a collage campus and a good friend's marriage abruptly ended.               In April of 2007 I was feeling the fragility and pain of life quite clearly.  

As a way to deal with the overwhelming sense of loss and helplessness I headed to my studio.  

I had been collecting eggshells from my house and my neighbors, knowing  that they would be a beautiful and poignant material in which to create a dress, therefore I had a good collection of eggshells at my disposal. So as a way to center myself amongst all the craziness going in the world, I grabbed my eggshells and my hot glue gun and began building. I still remember thinking that the hot glue was so messy compared to the delicateness and fragility of the eggshells, but that dichotomy was appropriate for how I was feeling.

That first day of building was cathartic, I just grab whatever shell that was closest, I didn't think.   I didn't care if it was brown or white eggshell, I just needed to build something.  However the next day when I returned to my studio I was put off by the randomness of the colors of the shells; I didn't like it.  Yet I didn't want to start again,  I wanted to honor how the dress began. So to 'compromise' I started covering both the brown and white shells with smaller pieces of the opposite color shell, as a way of blending the two colors.  

And as happens so many times with my 'dressproject', my solution to camouflage the different color shells not only succeeded, but it also visually suggested lace.  I loved this suggestion but I had NOT planned it. This is the beautiful serendipity found in my 'dressproject'.

I continued to build the dress, embracing the messiness of the hot glue, using the ever-present wisps of hot glue to suggest dripping whites of the eggs.  While making this sculpture I needed to learn patience and mindfulness.  I learned the hard way not to just yank the hot glue gun's cord out of the wall, as it could and did go flying into the eggshell dress (clean up aisle 3).

Once the dress was finished I had the opportunity to exhibit it at the Natick Collection and the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown, MA, 

the 'dressproject' at the Natick Collection, Natick, MA (2008)

where it got much attention ... 'look, those are eggshells?!?!?'

at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown, MA (2008)

Unfortunately, even with a well thought-out and throughly cushioned mode of transport, the traveling was too much for the sculpture and once she returned from Watertown, she succumbed to gravity.

It was odd because the dress didn't break in transit.  It was a day or so after returning from Watertown. 

I was in my studio when I heard a very soft crinkling sound, almost undetectable.  I stopped what I was doing to investigate.  At this time my studio had a leaky ceiling and possible rodent residences, so I wanted to see what was making this sound.

As I walked around my studio, ears straining, I realized that the sound was coming from my eggshell dress?!?! As I got closer to the sculpture I understood that it was crumbling and there was nothing I could do about it.  I tried to save it but only was able to salvage the top ...

 

But there was much I loved about this sculpture ~ the patterning created by the mosaic of eggshell, the beauty of the eggshells themselves and most of all, I wanted to honor the 'place' from where the piece started, it was a physical expression of how crazy fragile life was. 

So instead of scrapping the entire piece, I created the 'eggshell bustier ...' which I exhibited at my solo shows at the Dana Hall School, 2008 and the Holliston High School, 2009, before in took up residency in the offices of One80Visuals/ Renew Arts and Industry, Natick, MA.

There, the 'eggshell bustier ...'  stayed, quietly crumbling, until last Friday when I gingerly removed it. I was pleasantly surprised how the piece still had some integrity and I was able to transfer it into a bin in one piece.  And today, as my daughter Harriet spied it in the backseat of my car, she insisted that I salvage the eggshell dress/bustier yet again because, "it has been so many places."

'this comes from with ...' (2009)
Medicine Wheel Productions, Boston, MA

So we will see where the bustier will go from here, but it did inspire my room installation/environment, 'this comes from within ...' which is a very good thing....

peace

#wip wednesday: bring on spring!!!

'flowerpower:blue' ©2015

'flowerpower: love' ©2015

What has been occupying me these past days is the wonderful opportunity to be featured in the 

window of Uni-T and the Natick Collection. And watch out as 'flower power . . .' struts her stuff accompanied by a new series of paintings!!!!

 

This is a #wip (work in progress) because there is more to come!! More paintings and prints (fingers-crossed) of the paintings, and Eujin and I decided that I will continue to draw more flowers all around the window with her awesome white marker.  ( see photo below of me drawing some flowers, it is hard to capture these drawings with a camera but it looks so cool in person!!!! ) 

I have happily worked with Uni-T for years; I was featured in the window last summer - they carry many of my dressproject products and the owner, Eujin Kim Neilan  is such a dream to work with and an accomplished artist and illustrator herself.

paintings in progress in my studio

Eugene's book, The Rabbit and the Dragon King

'flowerpower: green' ©2015

white marker on the window

'bloom . . . ' ©2015

 and along with the window installation I finished my submission to Curlypops' #breathingtoanewbeat coloring book.

@virginiafitzgerald 2015

peace, va

#amazingmayamonday and other happenings . . .

“Love heals. Heals and liberates. I use the word love, not meaning sentimentality, but a condition so strong that it may be that which holds the stars in their heavenly positions and that which causes the blood to flow orderly in our veins.
Maya Angelou, Mom & Me & Mom

#amazingmayamonday,  on my dailydressinspiration blog

& other happenings from the studio of virginia fitzgerald:

dropped off two #fromthelandofdragons photos to Attleboro Arts Museum for their annual Flower Show!!! It was so great to see those wonderful folks there! It has been such a long time since I have been involved with an exhibit there. 

And to add to exhibiting in the show, I will be one of the artists who are participating in the 'Live Art-making' demo at the show. 

I will be either drawing or painting or collaging (who knows) Thursday March 12 in the afternoon.  I am so excited to see the Flower Show as I have heard it is spectacular and to have an allotted time that I know I will be doing ART!!!! 

Also this weekend I replenished my dressproducts at the lovely shop, Uni-T at the Natick Collections.   The owner, Eujin Kim Neilan, does such a great job finding and promoting talented artisan and artists.
And I love how she has displayed my dressphotos!

And then, in my free time I am continuing my 'meditations on . . .'

not sure where these pieces are going but I know I NEED to do them!! 

and there is nothing better than the meditative act of sewing on a cold winter eve.

here is how I described them on instagram . . .

"this past week i have taken up my needle and anything that is near at hand! In embroidering these meditations . . . Maybe it is the mounds of snow outside or other issues inside but these are my saviors right now"

now off to the studio to finish(?!?!?) my tree of life mural . . .  peace, va

Dress Project, return engagement, Natick Mall . . .

a table of dresses

I am so happy and honored to be the guest artist at the store, Uni-T, at the Natick Collection.

 Uni-T is the creation of Eujin Kim Neilan, a wonderful artist and illustrator. In her beautiful shop she paints, silkscreens and sells her work, a dreams that I have often entertained - shop/studio!! Along with her own work,  Eujin generously brings in the work of other artists every month. This month she has graciously offered the opportunity to me :) So once again the Dress Project is a the Natick Mall!!

from 2008

The first time was in February of 2008. That time I brought 4 of my sculptural dresses and exhibited them in the atrium of the mall. The Red Alert Cocktail was one of the four. Since then the Red Alert Cocktail Dress has made the rounds - numerous venues around Boston, Teaneck, NJ, Providence, RI and the Boston Children's museum, to name a few places. And wherever she goes she is a show stopper :) 

So now Red Alert is holding court in Uni-T's shop window, beckoning people in to check out a table of dresses: dresscards, dressphotos, dressmats and some original dressart!!

I must confess it is heartening to see all my work together and out in public. Recently life has pulled me away from my studio practice, something I thought would never happen.  but to see all the different pieces working together is buoyed my anxious creative self.  So I am truly thankful to Eujin for the opportunity!! 

set of 6 cards, images from my mixed media collage series,
 home sweet home

some of my original mixed media dresspaintings on panel

photos, photo notecards and so much more

signing the wondow

Eujin signing the window

statement from 2008 exhibit - it still works!!

4x6 framed dressmat