Pas de Deux - Under Construction

I mentioned last week a bit about my approach to my individual works in the Pas de Deux exhibition.  I was keen to not only have a Pas de Deux within our collaborative books; but also between the collaborative books and my own work; and within my own work.

That possibly makes for a pas de six or some such; but it has been the thread that holds my otherwise possibly disparate work together.

A further example of the threads connecting between and within the works is the series called Under Construction.

You may recall that Susan and I gave each other the theme "birds, feathers, nests and eggs" for one of our collaborative books. Susan created the beautiful Tidings of Magpies, and I made the quiet, soft and subtle Nurture.

I really, really enjoyed the imagery of nests and building and wanted to create further work along that theme.  So I made the Under Construction pieces - all of which refer to the precious work of building nests.

I spent some time writing the words, capturing my own thoughts about what was happening when a nest was built, the time it took, the care and the patience.  I wanted to say gently and quietly how much I admire wee birds and their intricate weaving of hopes and dreams; how they create such delicate yet robust masterpieces of shelter and protection.

Here are a couple of them:

gleaning downy threads

patient weaving of new dreams

time and twigs entwined

spiriting away

discarded tactile fragments

home is built anew

mindful selection

ephemeral yet robust

waiting and protecting

I used solar etching to capture nest and feather imagery, and used multiple plates to print - always interesting when one moves with the weight of the roller! Still, I did manage to create five wall pieces and five books.  

Again, I wanted my wall pieces to be linked to books; and my books to have a wall connection as well - another pas de deux.

Here are some of the framed wall pieces. I am so fortunate that my local framers handle my tricky works so well! Phil of Holden's Framing always knows multiple tricks and just the right frame depth etc etc to hold all my fragile bits together beautifully.

Under Construction IV 
Photographer Penny Riddoch

Under Construction V
Photographer Penny Riddoch

Under Construction III
Photographer Penny Riddoch

And a few of the books.

These books stand about 40cm high and about 45cm wide when opened.

Under Construction 2
Photographer Penny Riddoch

Under Construction 4
Photographer Penny Riddoch

But I have also designed them so that they can lie down along a shelf or desk and be read from above.

Under Construction 3
Photographer Penny Riddoch

The books are all bound in a beautiful book cloth, and each cover has an inset with a feather hand stitched on vellum. They are tied together with a Habu thread; and are housed in a Perspex slip case.

I don't know that I would have ever explored the birds and nests without having made the collaborative book along that theme; or without having learnt how to do solar plate etching during the making of White Ribbon Day...so the collaboration has really sent my work in new directions.