Tricia Coulson and the Human Journey

Tricia Coulson Artifacts 3

There is an obvious early historical element to the textile work of Tricia Coulson, though perhaps it would be better to say that her work is pre-historical and taps into some of the most fundamental of the roots of the human species, the early ancestral elements that went to make up who we are today, the core of our being rather than the ephemeral and somehow unreliable coating that the twenty first century at least appears to give us.

Tricia Coulson Artifacts 4

It is the strands within our human journey that seem to make up such an important part of Coulson's work. Two strands in particular seem to stand out in the pieces shown in this article, that of both visible art and of the written word. It could be said that these two elements are possibly the two strands that have helped us the most in moulding our exceptional ability to be both creative and perhaps more importantly, to understand that creative element inside all of us.

 Tricia Coulson Artifacts 1

Though the written word followed on much later than the medium of art, the early lettering on these art pieces could be said to be representational of the spoken as well as the written word. This would then take the images that Coulson has conjured up, back to the earliest days of human myth and legend, when our culture was young, fluid and full of stories and images of wonder concerning the world we saw and experienced around us.

Tricia Coulson Artifacts 2

The way Coulson produces her work and judges the compositional components that make up each piece is interesting as it seems to tie in with the timeless quality of her compositions. She removes herself from the measured timeframe of our everyday life today and creates her own space and rhythm in which to work. This conscious removal from the structure of time and limited space opens up a whole world of possibilities and allows her to experience a genuine contact with the larger world that our ancestors knew, rather than the very narrow one that we inhabit today, full of the power of the rigid framework of time and space that we have created for ourselves as both a useful guide, but which also serves as a cage with a host of inevitable limitations. By opening up this other world that our early ancestors knew intimately, Coulson shows us what we could and have been, rather than what we are. It gives us hope for change, but it is also tinged with the sadness of what we have inevitably lost, probably forever.

 Tricia Coulson Pictograph

Tricia Coulson is a textile artist with a genuine love of her medium, but also she is that rare artist who is aware of the fluid and timeless quality that can sometimes be achieved within the realms of creativity. She works full time creatively and exhibits her work across the US.

Coulson has a website showing her work and statements about her approach to that work. The website can be found here.

All images are used with the kind permission of the artist.

The Tapestry Work of Ruth Hollos-Consemuller

Ruth Hollos-Consemuller tapestry design 1926

The tapestry and weaving work produced by the various members of the textile department of the Bauhaus are rich and varied in theme and composition despite the often, by today's standards at least, narrow constraints put upon them by the manifesto and politics of the school and its hierarchy.

Textiles came way down the list of priority and status at the Bauhaus and it cannot be any coincidence that most of the female students were limited to the textile department. The Bauhaus may well have been revolutionary in many ways, but they still barred women from their most prestigious departments such as architecture. While a number of important female names have always been associated with the school, they were practically all working within a strict weaving and tapestry framework. The Bauhaus was always run by men for men, with an annexe for 'women's studies'. It has to be remembered that most of the men in the Bauhaus hierarchy had been raised within the parameters of a conservative Victorian and Edwardian society, where the role of women was limited and structured. The conscious and unconscious prejudices of the men running the Bauhaus may well have been a factor in the exclusion of women from any major influential role, and therefore an exclusion from any decision making as to the format within the school.

Although the textile department was run by such prestigious and influential teachers as Paul Klee, the low status of the department cannot be ignored. It is said that Klee himself felt that he had been somehow sidelined or even demoted by the hierarchy of the Bauhaus, and had been deliberately excluded from the male dominated, and therefore more prestigious departments of the school. Whether Klee had a legitimate grievance or not, he still paid a considerable amount of attention to the way his female students approached the fundamentals of design such as colour, composition and structure. Klee fostered a new dynamic approach to the medium of textile design, both art and design based, and through his students, managed to fundamentally transform woven textiles into an aggressively modern format, with a style and philosophy that had never been seen in Europe before.

  Ruth Hollos-Consemuller tapestry design 1925

The two woven tapestry pieces shown here by Ruth Hollos-Consemuller, show a startling use of both colour and geometry. These tapestries do not attempt to represent a realistic interpretation of the world around them, typically using two dimensional trickery to form an illusion of three dimensions. Instead they deal practically with the flat medium that textile designers always have to deal with, avoiding any illusion or artifice to try to disguise that fact. Hollos-Consemuller deals with the surface fabric of the weaving with a genuine honesty. The Bauhaus saw no point in trying to represent a world of pretend, a flat surface was a flat surface and should be treated as such without the use of any form of contrivance. In fact this is the extreme end result of the battle that started in mid-Victorian Britain with the Design Reform movement which placed the emphasis on an honest approach towards both medium and material. Hollos-Consemuller has taken the idea of the flat medium of tapestry weaving to explore relationships between colour and spaces, with no representational framework as a hindrance to genuine exploration.

These Bauhaus guided design experiments proved to be very successful and influential and can be seen in a number of mediums throughout the 1920s and 1930s, particularly within the textile based world. It could be said that is was work produced by such women as Ruth Hollos-Consemuller and others within the textile department of the Bauhaus, that helped to identify the school with a certain style and direction within Modernist design and decoration. It may not have been what was expected or envisioned by the men who set up the Bauhaus school, but ironically the women who were excluded from so much of the experiment, are now seen by many as being typically representative of both the revolutionary approach and the wider influential aspects that have come to be so closely associated with that of the Bauhaus.

The Textile Artwork of Altoon Sultan

 Altoon Sultan Turquoise Circles

Textile art can take many forms and use many mediums. In recent years a number of craft processes not usually associated with textile art have been incorporated by some of the more enterprising and non-judgemental artists. Some of the skills that have been incorporated into textile art include many that were considered to be the lesser craft skills, most of which were on a strictly amateur basis and have rarely if ever seen any professional aspect to their medium. These include such staples of the amateur world as crochet, macrame and hooked and rag rugging, to name only a few.

Altoon Sultan Boxed Circles

Hooked rugs have always been seen as belonging to a world of instant necessity and practical need. The skill of hooked rugging was never considered part of any Arts & Crafts revival or even part of a middle class accomplishment package that was expected from every woman before and after marriage. These art and craft packages would usually include such skills as drawing, needlework and weaving, but could include some of the more unusual craft skills such as metalwork and ceramics. Rug making itself has a very high standard of achievement and status. When it was strictly in the field of weave, embroidery or even print it could and was often considered to be an art form in itself. However rag and hooked rugs were another matter entirely and were rarely if ever mentioned in the same format and were not seen as a skill or part of any other medium. These rugs were strictly the property of some of the lowest and most poorly paid members of society. The skill has therefore been tarnished with an image of low social status and unapproachability.

Altoon Sultan Tiles

Altoon Sultan is a Vermont based fine artist who sees no stigma or prejudice in the skill of hooked rug making and has incorporated it effortlessly into her fine art work as a process of that art rather than as a minor support skill. She has a subtle eye for both texture and colour variation, as can be seen in the images shown in this article, all of which are the work of Sultan. For the artist it is not just a matter of producing a pattern out of the hooking technique, there is also the much subtler use of the direction that the loops take within the composition, some compositions switching the direction with a change of colour or texture, while others use the change of loop direction in order to add a subtle pattern for the eye to follow.

Altoon Sultan Ovals

Whereas the traditional hooked rug technique used scraps of fabric that could not be utilised for any other domestic use, and therefore were limited as to the range of the creative process, Sultan does not have this problem. Her fabrics can be individually and subtly dyed to produce a close range of colour shades and tones making the work appear both coordinated and connected. Each piece or ruglet, is an individual and unique process, from initial sketch and composition, through to the dyeing and hand picking of fabric strips, to the actual making.

These pieces are not rugs and cannot be placed on the floor. They are art pieces for the wall only. This is not to say that Sultan finds that there is something embarassing about the medium or the skill involved in hooked rug making. It says much more about her being able to see the medium outside its narrow confines, often narrowed by outside elements rather than within the medium.

By highlighting the work of Altoon Sultan, it shows that no process within the textile world should be considered lower and less significant than another. All are processes that were learnt and handed down across generations and all have value. If we start to rationalise and grade the differing skills and techniques that are part of the large and varied world of art and craft textiles then we are also guilty of rationalising and grading the generations of people who, usually through necessity produced and honed those skills in the first place.

Altoon Sultan Blue Circle, Red Triangle

Altoon Sultan has an interesting and comprehensive blog where her thought processes and methods of work can be seen in much greater detail than I have shown here. Her blog Studio and Garden can be found here.

The images were used with the kind permission of the artist.

Reference:

Altoon Sultan blog

William Morris and the Thames Tributaries

William Morris Evenlode 1883-4

In the early to mid 1880s, arguably at the height of William Morris creative career, he produced a set of seven designs that were each named after a different tributary of the Thames. The rivers, in no order of preference or design date were: Evenlode, Kennet, Wey, Windrush, Cray, Wandle and Medway. Morris did produce a number of other designs based on English river names, but the Thames river set are an interesting small sample of Morris work produced during a highly creative and productive period of a couple of years, all linked by the Thames itself, but incorporating a number of other details that were much more fundamental to the work of Morris.

William Morris Kennet 1883-4

Probably the most notable aspect that links all of these designs together is the flowing, even meandering feel that the design work has. It is immediately noticeable that there are thick lines represented by foliage stems,  that wander through the design from top to bottom. Some are more forthright on their journey across the design, while others take their time and often seem as if they are going to double-back before reaching the top of the piece. It could be said that these Morris design pieces pre-empt the Art Nouveau movement and that perhaps the movement could have been inspired by the work of Morris, but it seems more likely that the work of the Art Nouveau designers and that of Morris was coincidental, both using the natural curves of nature as an observational motif. Interestingly it can be seen in the initial design work produced by Morris himself, how important the central meandering line truly is to the integrity of the full design.

William Morris Wey 1883-4

However, Morris use of the meandering line was not just an affectation, as could be argued for that of the Art Nouveau movement. Morris wanted to express his love of and observation of, the river Thames and its tributaries by producing design work that would be both an observational and symbolic representation of the river. Morris was using the tenet of John Ruskin, a man Morris both admired and whose word he implicitly followed, particularly when it came to describing the acute observational techniques of the natural world that needed to be used when producing both art and design work.

 William Morris Windrush 1883-4

By looking at the design work again it can be seen that the meandering line through the work is only the most prominent of many wandering lines. There are many smaller lines that meander throughout the design work. These small lines in fact represent the small streams that flow into the tributaries which in turn flow into the Thames. These small streams and tributaries seem to be represented by tangled and complex aspects of foliage, which in fact they are, as they both represent the slow, languid meandering of the peaceful and tranquil tributaries of the Thames, but at the same time they are also able to represent the rich foliage that grows along the riverbanks of these rivers and streams.

 William Morris Cray 1883-4

These seven pieces of design work are meant to show the full rounded aspect of the river Thames, from its many small and wide tributaries to its rich floral river banks. This was a set of work produced by someone who was in love with his subject matter. The Thames meant a great deal to Morris as it had always been a constant through his often turbulent life. It was with him through his early life, his time at Oxford, and later in life it was the setting for his successful textile and wallpaper production, these seven pieces were in fact designed and then printed on the banks of the river Thames.

William Morris Wandle 1883-4

Very often these seven pieces of design work are not seen as a separate collection, and to be honest much of the work produced at the same time as the Tributary series does seem remarkably similar in style, colour and composition. However, there is something fundamental that does link the series and that is both Morris love for the Thames and his passion for the acute observational use of nature as both an inspiration and as a subject matter. To understand Morris is to understand more than the medieval fantasy of his early years or the socialist dreaming of his later life. He was a fundamental believer in both the beauty of nature and the immediacy of first hand observation. Both were a vital essence to his personal and professional life, and it is perhaps this that helps to raise the design work of Morris from much of the decorative arts work of the Victorian era.

William Morris Medway 1883-4

Owen Jones and the Ornament of Nineveh and Persia

Nineveh and Persian Ornament from Owen Jones The Grammar of Ornament (1856)

In his 1856 book entitled The Grammar of Ornament, Owen Jones produced a chapter on the ornamentation of the ancient Assyrians and Persians. The fact that he placed this particular design style at chapter three, sandwiched between that of Egyptian decoration and Greek, says much about where Jones saw these two particular cultures in the grand history of decoration.

Jones made the assumption that Assyrian art and design work was somewhere between a copy and a degeneration of the Egyptian original. The fact that it didn't occur to him that the two styles were independent and bore no real relationship to each other, can be partly explained by an examination of the early days of Victorian archaeology and their misreading and misunderstanding of the often complex relationship of the many different ancient cultures that made up the Middle East at that period. There was also a certain biblical prejudice against the Assyrians that as Christians the Victorians would have possessed as part of their own cultural makeup.

 Nineveh and Persian Ornament from Owen Jones The Grammar of Ornament (1856)

Jones in some respects purposely sandwiched Assyrian decoration between what he saw, and many of his fellow Victorians fervently believed, as the innovative and individual cultures of Egypt and Greece, both of which produced their own styles of decoration and ornamentation. Placing the derivative style of the Assyrians between the two was perhaps an opportunity to give us a lesson in creativity versus the uninventive. The fact that Jones was totally wrong does not negate the interesting, but unproven chapter listing.

Interestingly Jones also ties ancient Persian decoration and ornament to that of the Assyrians, even though the cultures were separated by time, region and tradition. Because there were certain similarities in decorative motifs and colour does not necessarily tie them to the same cultural root, even though there was some reuse of decorative work between the cultures. Later on in the book Jones gives Islamic Persian decoration a much higher profile.

Nineveh and Persian Ornament from Owen Jones The Grammar of Ornament (1856)

The fact that Jones assumed that the Assyrian, and through association Persian, decorative styles were borrowed rather than indigenous and owed nothing to the dynamism of the Assyrian culture that we recognise today, is disappointing as in so many other chapters of his book Jones shows a confidence in his belief in the indigenous genesis of many of the cultural styles he highlights, even where there was little or no evidence to prove his point.

To be fair this belief in certain cultures being pale imitations or degenerate offspring of other worthier cultures was rife in the Victorian world and was often seen as a standard and irrefutable truth. Admittedly there are some today who still have the same beliefs, but we are much more aware today, or should be, that every culture on the planet has a uniqueness and a legitimacy all of its own and while cross-fertilization of cultures is a rich part of the complex patchwork history of humanity, it is only a part of the story and no culture can claim domination of identity over another.

Reference:

Owen Jones:- The Grammar of Ornament (1856)

The Attu Basketry of the Aleutian Islands

Types of Attu and Atka basketry work

The Aleutian Islands are the long string of islands that travel in an arc along the bottom of the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia. There are a number of communities throughout the archipelago that have been producing basketry for home consumption and outside markets for generations.

Attu drawstring basketry design (detail)

All the basketry techniques and styles are unique to each island community; most of the baskets shown in this article derive from the western most island of the Aleutians, and indeed the westernmost point of Alaska, namely the island and community of Attu.

Attu basketry was famous from the nineteenth century onwards, particularly with a number of collectors. In some cases basketry from other islands in the Aleutian chain was mistakenly tagged with the name Attu. It is thought that this was a common mistake rather than a deliberate mislead, as the markets in mainland US were so far away from the Aleutians that mistakes and mislabelling was common. However, many experts in the US were well aware that Attu basketry skills were probably the best and most authentic in the islands. Whether this had anything to do with the fact that Attu Island was the furthest point from American 'civilization' is an interesting one.

Attu basketry construction

Traditional Attu basketry used wild rye grass that grew everywhere on the islands. Harvesting, which took place in the short Alaskan summer, was not an easy process, as the grass had to be harvested meticulously as not all grass blades were suitable for basketry purposes. The grass is then slowly dried and then has to be separated into grades from coarse to fine. The grass is then dried again until ready to use. By careful harvesting and using a number of different dying techniques, different shades of grass can be used in the basketry process, thus adding an element of pattern and decoration without the need to dye the grass. Interestingly silk and worsted threads were traditionally used as part of the process of decoration, but these materials would have had to have been traded, as the islands had no domestic flocks of sheep, and certainly no direct access to silk.

Attu basketry weaving (detail)

Most of the basketry weaving work was done in the winter when communities were less active and there was more idle time to be filled. Although the basketry for domestic use was usually mostly, if not totally practically based, those items for export to the US and beyond could take the form of anything from a basket to a cigarette case.

Attu basketry cigarette case (detail)

In some respects Attu basketry was deemed desirable because of its remoteness from the rest of the US, but this on its own would not have been enough to explain its popularity. It was also very well made, the accumulated skill of generations of basketry makers, which made the products that reached the larger external world all the more attractive because of the skill and professional finishing that was involved in this traditional craft.

Attu basketry weaving (detail)

All of the images in this article were taken in the first decade of the twentieth century and therefore are probably closer to the uninterrupted traditional lifestyle and craft techniques and skills that made the Attu so attractive to outsiders.

Attu basketry construction

Basketry is still produced throughout the Aleutians. An interesting selection of which can be seen on the Museum of the Aleutians website, along with a number of other museum exhibits. The website can be found here.

There is also a website run by the people of Attu, which gives information on the human and natural history of the island. Their website can be found here.

Reference:

Museum of the Aleutians
Attu Island Website

Later Northern Russian Embroidery

Although the skill of embroidery is often thought to be a craft tradition that is firmly ensconced in that of the past rather than the present or future, embroiderers themselves have always been aware of and used contemporary themes within their work. For us today, these themed embroidery designs can be an interesting and sometimes valuable lesson in social and design history.

All of the design work shown here is part of the exhibition shown by the Soviet Union at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris. Compared to the previous post on Northern Russian embroidery which showed the traditional pattern work that was used extensively throughout the region from a far earlier period, these pieces tend to show aspects of Northern Russia from a much later period which incorporates everyday life, motifs and emblems from the Russian Empire including images of the church, landed gentry and peasantry and the Romanoff double-headed eagle. However, also included in the exhibition was embroidery work produced in early Soviet era Russia as well, with images portraying factories, workers and cars.

This later contemporary themed embroidery work does not necessarily dominate the production of the craft during this period, as traditional older design work, including the red thread dominated embroidery work of Central Russia, was still being produced in fairly large quantities. There would also have been examples of early Soviet and Bolshevik embroidered propaganda banners that were used in marches both before and after the revolution, very much in the same manner as the Trade Union and Suffragette banners that were often embroidered by women and could be seen across Europe and North America, particularly in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The pieces shown here though not political in form would still have complimented the tradition of embroidery and been added to the overall library of design work that was such a vital part of the craft. This library of mostly amateur inspired work, none of which was written or copied down, but was instead passed as a memory from generation to generation, is an invaluable illustration of both the history of the craft and the history of those involved with the craft, usually unknown women.

During the peak of the European Arts & Crafts movement, a number of avid collectors started to procure examples of mainly rural crafts. It was these particular traditions that were most in need of either protection or at least documentation, as the drift towards regular employment in large towns and cities across Europe was seeing the demise of many of these long term and multi-generational rural craft disciplines, including that of embroidery. Luckily many of these collections that were put together by the nineteenth century Russian middle classes and aristocracy, survived the Revolution and became important additions to a number of state museum collections, where luckily for us they still remain today.