i remember being five or six sitting in my grandmother's living room waiting in anticipation for uncle Erasmus to arrive from one of his trips. Can you believe his name? He was my grandmother's brother and my great grandfather had named the kids Erasmus, Virgil and Homer. They missed a Dante. It was a girl, my grandma.
He was a great traveler and had all those stories to tell , so the family would gather around him and listen spellbound. Distant places, different rites, other languages i think he imbued the wander lust in me.
i also remember when i was around nine or ten my parents gave me the book Around the World in 2,000 pictures. Being an only child at that time, i would spend days and days examining the black and white photos and dreaming of being there. There were two that, heavens know why, called my attention most of all and made them very special to me.
One was of human towers, men standing on each other's shoulders forming single pillars. There was another variety that was pillar within pillar, the base being like a hurdle to support all that weight.
The other was a picture of the strangest building that i had ever seen. It was a stone boat like structure with a turret docked in the water . i wanted to know why would someone build a boat in stone, yet put it in the water. At that time i didn't know, but that was an oxymoron.
i remember watching Rome Adventure with Troy Donahue and Suzanne Pleshette and dying to get her hairdo and go to Rome.Troy Donahue, o.k. if i got him, but what i really wanted was to go to Rome and walk those streets and see those colors.
Fast forward to the seventies when i lived in Rome. i remember those colors and the discovery of light, changing light during the day and over the seasons. Coming from the tropics where light is always the same, blinding, it was a revelation.
Many moons later i came to Barcelona for weaving reasons and was surprised to find the human towers were part of the Catalan folklore. i began to have a floating feeling, that of having closed a circle. And i stayed here.
And yet more moons afterwards one day while walking along the Tejo in Lisbon i saw the fascinating odd structure of my childhood. The Tower of Belem! i had to explain my husband what was all that excitement about lest he think that i was suffering from heat stroke.
All those memories neatly packed in boxes.
He was a great traveler and had all those stories to tell , so the family would gather around him and listen spellbound. Distant places, different rites, other languages i think he imbued the wander lust in me.
i also remember when i was around nine or ten my parents gave me the book Around the World in 2,000 pictures. Being an only child at that time, i would spend days and days examining the black and white photos and dreaming of being there. There were two that, heavens know why, called my attention most of all and made them very special to me.
One was of human towers, men standing on each other's shoulders forming single pillars. There was another variety that was pillar within pillar, the base being like a hurdle to support all that weight.
The other was a picture of the strangest building that i had ever seen. It was a stone boat like structure with a turret docked in the water . i wanted to know why would someone build a boat in stone, yet put it in the water. At that time i didn't know, but that was an oxymoron.
i remember watching Rome Adventure with Troy Donahue and Suzanne Pleshette and dying to get her hairdo and go to Rome.Troy Donahue, o.k. if i got him, but what i really wanted was to go to Rome and walk those streets and see those colors.
Fast forward to the seventies when i lived in Rome. i remember those colors and the discovery of light, changing light during the day and over the seasons. Coming from the tropics where light is always the same, blinding, it was a revelation.
Many moons later i came to Barcelona for weaving reasons and was surprised to find the human towers were part of the Catalan folklore. i began to have a floating feeling, that of having closed a circle. And i stayed here.
And yet more moons afterwards one day while walking along the Tejo in Lisbon i saw the fascinating odd structure of my childhood. The Tower of Belem! i had to explain my husband what was all that excitement about lest he think that i was suffering from heat stroke.
All those memories neatly packed in boxes.
neki desu
I love your February TIF piece. I used a piece of organza in mine that I'd made using a shibori-like technique: I sewed plastic pony beads into the organza then boiled it. When it was dry, I removed the beads and the organza held the shapes.
ReplyDeleteThis is fabuous, Neki! The piece is truly inspired and beautifully done, but your writing also is wonderful! You have a beautiful way with words. And, you live in one of my all-time-favorite-want-to-go-there-cities---Barcelona! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'm glad I found yours!!
ReplyDeleteI am loving the texture and colors of this piece and really enjoyed reading about your memories. The amount of talent participating in this TIF challenge is both awe inspiring and intimidating.
ReplyDeleteI love your bromstick piece! Love your story too. My grandfather had a book with a picture of the leaning tower in Pisa. I remember going to Pisa when I was 19 and how unreal it felt to sit on the lawn by the tower.
ReplyDeleteA touch of class. I love both TIF pieces.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you have brought in the last of the Feb. colours in the small square area.
The broom/diamonds look great.
Neki
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed! Your loom shibori is beautiful and your storytelling wonderful - it was obviously in the genes!
This is beautiful and makes me wish I could weave. I must admit I had to look up what loom controlled shibori meant. So having read just a tiniest bit of information I am even more impressed.
ReplyDeletewonderful texture!
ReplyDeleteNeki, these pieces are truly amazing. I loved to read how you did them. They are great on a technical level, but what I like even more is how you tell a story with very simple means in them. I enjoyed to read the story behind them, too.
ReplyDeletefirst, I thought I would be just lurking and then "go", but no, I have to say, AH, wonderfull!
ReplyDeleteThe february piece is really spectacular.Its great to see how you achieved it too - I'm a great fan of Shibori but I think you've taken Shibori in a whole new direction which is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI really like this piece. Is the photo of the broom added digitally to the photo of the weaving, or is it physically part of the piece? Since I started reading your blog you have always been a weaver doing other things. Now, it's great fun to see you weaving.
ReplyDeleteI really love your memories and even better that they came true for you and you actually saw those memories . do I make sense I feel I am rambling. Must look for blade runner one I wasnt sure I wanted to see.
ReplyDeleteYour interpretations of those memories are wonderful.
I love your piece, it has the depths of your story. I love that feeling of recognition when you first see something you know from a book.
ReplyDeletedarn! i thought i was going to escape having to try this for myself.....
ReplyDeletewill get the book and study it- not promising when a loomed piece might appear but putting it out there that i'm interested in a small loom....thanks