So to my fragments piece which is the result of a lot of synchronicity. Earlier this year I became the keeper of the family photo albums and was immediately struck by how some of the photographs belied what was happening, sometimes only minutes, before they were taken. Also at this time I was exploring the various filters in GIMP and used the Cyanotype filter to good effect on some of these old family photos.
In August I was at the Festival of Quilts and was struck by the use of small 'fragments' of paper and fabric by post graduate students Fiona Wilson and Nina Davis . So the photographs that told the story of how one family could fragment and re-build itself, were in turn fragmented and re-assembled to make this piece.
The photographs were printed on to Lutrador (This was a first for me, and I must admit to initially being a bit dis-appointed with the result as quite a lot of the ink bled through on to the carrying sheet. Now I quite like the hazy effect this has created. ) before being cut up, laid out very carefully and machine stitched onto the quilt layers. I added a little additional stitching and a traditional binding - to help keep the family together!
*Although I keep a presence on Facebook I've always doubted its value - until today!
I love it! I'm also intrigued by the technique. Did you scan the photos and then print them onto the Lutradur? Did you stitch a grid first and then place each clipping into its space to stitch it down? Was the placement serendipitous or planned? Very contemporary!
ReplyDeleteThanks Heather, the photos were scanned then printed onto a piece of Lutrador that I taped to ordinary copy paper to feed through the printer. I hand cut the photos to ensure that they weren't too even then glued them onto the quilt sandwich with a glue stick before machining them in place. The placement was fairly random, other than ensuring that I didn't have all of one photo together or too many pairs of feet in one row!
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I like about this piece is the secondary pattern of the white space between the photo fragments. I plan to scan the quilt to see whether I can play with this a bit.
I love the hazy effect - like fading or long lost memories. I also had that bleeding effect when I printed on to Lutradur. I suppose if we were clever we could use both layers...
ReplyDeleteThe thought that families fragment, come together, fragment again and so on comes straight after watching another in the 'Who do you think you are?' TV series - coincidence or what?!
Like the quilting lines fragmenting the whole.
Hilary
PS - so what is our next theme, Linda B?
Thanks for your description of the technique. I think the secondary pattern of white space is what gives it such a uniqueness. Really like how it turned out.Fun to see all the little shoes!
ReplyDeleteIt has similarities to Hilary's mosaics in some ways, but with a completely different feel and theme. I too thought the deadline was a month away, then a couple of weeks ago worked out that it was today! Glad my response to your 'friend' request helped.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the other comments particularly hilary's as I am having fun piecing our family history together. One question ... what weight Lutradur did you use?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry Phil, I'm afrad that I don't know. All I can say is that I bought it from Ineke Berlyn and it is the weight that she uses most.
ReplyDeleteI like the presentation. We've just gone through a 90th birthday celebration which involved looking through lots of old photos. You've given me some ideas to use.
ReplyDeleteSo many stories to tell, especially family stories...I really like how you conveyed the fragmentation of family photos. I found myself looking at each block and realizing it could be photos from just about any family album...bringing back memories about the time when....
ReplyDeleteReally nice way to present many photos. It would be nice to have a closer look.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you are tempted Colleen - that was what I was hoping to do :-)
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