Introduction
Tiselius won the Nobel Prize in 1948 for separating proteins and polynucleotides using electrophoresis. It separates their charged form, due to their differential migration rates in an electric field. My ArtCloth dyptich reflects on the “Separation of Life” using an imaginary separation process.
The Making of “The Separation of Life”
Before I can create a work of art, whether on paper or on cloth, I need to be passionately moved by what I am about to create.
The concept underlying “The Separation of Life” evolved from a dinner table conversation I had with my husband one evening. He is a Professor of Physical Chemistry doing research on biomedical processes. I asked him what he had done at work this particular day and in his usual fashion he said, “Oh not much,” and then added in a bemused fashion, “Today, we separated some proteins associated with stress”.
“So”, I said, “You separated a building block necessary for a process in life.”
He replied, “I don’t think I would have put it as dramatically as that.”
Over the next few days a concept grew in my mind. These scientists were now so firmly rooted in an abstracted world that the wonderment of their work was becoming lost in the humdrum of everyday activity. What if one day the very essence of human life itself could be separated by scientific means? That is, the drivers of life such as DNA, RNA and proteins can already be separated, but what if the life force itself could be separated? What would the separation look like?
Whenever I have a project, I do intensive research. In this case I must have spent 100 hours researching the topic. Hence, extracting information from my husband and elsewhere - at those headland points one reaches - I discovered that Tiselius won the Nobel Prize in 1948 for separating proteins and polynucleotides (DNA or RNA) using electrophoresis. I was determined that my ArtCloth piece would reflect on the separation of the essence of life.
This is what my husband would see. The staining of the proteins yields colors of blue or grey or reddish brown. The trails that these proteins leave are globular in shape. In some cases it appears as knots on a fiber length.
When I create some of my ArtCloth pieces I appropriate imagery, but in doing so I turn it in my mind so as to re-create a totally different feel; that is, with intent I change the act of engagement. For the "Separation of Life", my imagery will be loosely based on the electrophoresis image, but it will be so significantly altered that the interaction with the viewer will become a totally different art experience.
The Separation of Life - An Artistic Concept
The colors I employed for the ArtCloth dyptich needed to convey a subtle, ethereal quality. I used Procion MX Dyes because they are color-fast, and light-fast; that is, the dye molecules bond securely to the fiber polymer system (albeit cotton, silk or rayon). They are also suited to a dyebath, printing or hand painting techniques. Moreover, these colors are intermixable and so provide a large array of hues that yield consistent and controllable results.
I was working on a dyptich which I shall label A and B.
Dyptich Component A
ArtCloth A was dyed, and then over-dyed using the following shibori techniques:
(i) The fabric was folded in half and folded over in half again.
(ii) The ArtCloth piece was then folded horizontally in halves until it formed a thin strip.
(iii) Small clamps were positioned on the fabric to act as a resist and to hold and tie the fabric in place whilst in the bath. The clamps were also positioned to create the desired effect that was envisaged to imprint on the surface layers.
(iv) The still-clamped fabric was then placed in its fourth and final navy immersion dyebath to add surface richness to the final layer.
Dyptich Component B
ArtCloth B was dyed and then over-dyed using the following shibori techniques:
(i) The fabric was folded in half and folded over in half again to form a square.
(ii) The ArtCloth piece was then folded horizontally in halves until it formed a thin strip.
(iii) The strip was rolled and elastic bands were positioned on the fabric to act as a resist and to hold and tie the fabric in place whilst in the bath. The elastic bands were also positioned to create the desired effect that was envisaged to imprint on the surface layers.
(iv) The still-tied fabric was then placed in its fourth and final navy immersion dyebath to add surface richness to the final layer.
The two ArtCloth pieces were clamped and discharged with discharge paste to create subtle shapes that have been created in each piece.
My Approach to Art Making
Whilst I do a large amount of research prior to creating any artwork, on the day of creation I leave my mind outside of the Art Quill Studio and do all the artwork intuitvely. The research is now a part of each act of my art mark making. In other words, I do it in an unself-conscious manner as if I was a complete stranger to it and so I leave my unconscious thoughts free to roam all over the cloth.
The Zen Masters, as outlined by D.T. Suzuki, felt that:
”Man is a thinking reed, but his great works are done when he is not calculating or thinking”.
Finished Artwork
Dyptich A: “Separation of Life” - full view.
Dyptich A: “Separation of Life” – detailed view.
Dyptich B: “Separation of Life” - full view.
Dyptich B: “Separation of Life” – detailed view.
Postscript
Both ArtCloth pieces were framed in mat plexiglass frames - to hang side-by-side as a dyptich. After it was exhibited in ‘New Frontiers: an exhibition of contemporary fibre art’ @ the ArtHouse, McAllen, Texas, USA, both were sold to a private collector in the USA.
Tiselius won the Nobel Prize in 1948 for separating proteins and polynucleotides using electrophoresis. It separates their charged form, due to their differential migration rates in an electric field. My ArtCloth dyptich reflects on the “Separation of Life” using an imaginary separation process.
The Making of “The Separation of Life”
Before I can create a work of art, whether on paper or on cloth, I need to be passionately moved by what I am about to create.
The concept underlying “The Separation of Life” evolved from a dinner table conversation I had with my husband one evening. He is a Professor of Physical Chemistry doing research on biomedical processes. I asked him what he had done at work this particular day and in his usual fashion he said, “Oh not much,” and then added in a bemused fashion, “Today, we separated some proteins associated with stress”.
“So”, I said, “You separated a building block necessary for a process in life.”
He replied, “I don’t think I would have put it as dramatically as that.”
Over the next few days a concept grew in my mind. These scientists were now so firmly rooted in an abstracted world that the wonderment of their work was becoming lost in the humdrum of everyday activity. What if one day the very essence of human life itself could be separated by scientific means? That is, the drivers of life such as DNA, RNA and proteins can already be separated, but what if the life force itself could be separated? What would the separation look like?
Whenever I have a project, I do intensive research. In this case I must have spent 100 hours researching the topic. Hence, extracting information from my husband and elsewhere - at those headland points one reaches - I discovered that Tiselius won the Nobel Prize in 1948 for separating proteins and polynucleotides (DNA or RNA) using electrophoresis. I was determined that my ArtCloth piece would reflect on the separation of the essence of life.
When I create some of my ArtCloth pieces I appropriate imagery, but in doing so I turn it in my mind so as to re-create a totally different feel; that is, with intent I change the act of engagement. For the "Separation of Life", my imagery will be loosely based on the electrophoresis image, but it will be so significantly altered that the interaction with the viewer will become a totally different art experience.
The Separation of Life - An Artistic Concept
The colors I employed for the ArtCloth dyptich needed to convey a subtle, ethereal quality. I used Procion MX Dyes because they are color-fast, and light-fast; that is, the dye molecules bond securely to the fiber polymer system (albeit cotton, silk or rayon). They are also suited to a dyebath, printing or hand painting techniques. Moreover, these colors are intermixable and so provide a large array of hues that yield consistent and controllable results.
Dyptich Component A
ArtCloth A was dyed, and then over-dyed using the following shibori techniques:
(i) The fabric was folded in half and folded over in half again.
(ii) The ArtCloth piece was then folded horizontally in halves until it formed a thin strip.
(iii) Small clamps were positioned on the fabric to act as a resist and to hold and tie the fabric in place whilst in the bath. The clamps were also positioned to create the desired effect that was envisaged to imprint on the surface layers.
(iv) The still-clamped fabric was then placed in its fourth and final navy immersion dyebath to add surface richness to the final layer.
Dyptich Component B
ArtCloth B was dyed and then over-dyed using the following shibori techniques:
(i) The fabric was folded in half and folded over in half again to form a square.
(ii) The ArtCloth piece was then folded horizontally in halves until it formed a thin strip.
(iii) The strip was rolled and elastic bands were positioned on the fabric to act as a resist and to hold and tie the fabric in place whilst in the bath. The elastic bands were also positioned to create the desired effect that was envisaged to imprint on the surface layers.
(iv) The still-tied fabric was then placed in its fourth and final navy immersion dyebath to add surface richness to the final layer.
The two ArtCloth pieces were clamped and discharged with discharge paste to create subtle shapes that have been created in each piece.
My Approach to Art Making
Whilst I do a large amount of research prior to creating any artwork, on the day of creation I leave my mind outside of the Art Quill Studio and do all the artwork intuitvely. The research is now a part of each act of my art mark making. In other words, I do it in an unself-conscious manner as if I was a complete stranger to it and so I leave my unconscious thoughts free to roam all over the cloth.
The Zen Masters, as outlined by D.T. Suzuki, felt that:
”Man is a thinking reed, but his great works are done when he is not calculating or thinking”.
Finished Artwork
Postscript
Both ArtCloth pieces were framed in mat plexiglass frames - to hang side-by-side as a dyptich. After it was exhibited in ‘New Frontiers: an exhibition of contemporary fibre art’ @ the ArtHouse, McAllen, Texas, USA, both were sold to a private collector in the USA.
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