Flow With Me
31 December, 2020
Flow with me - up and down - through waves of hope and grief, excitement and fear, trust and doubt.
Are these ups and downs two dimensional curves or part of a spiralling movement?
Maybe all we need to do is changing our perspective, maybe even bowing down to see the magic.
...
Creating this artwork has helped me to navigate through my ups and downs during lockdown and through all that has bubbled up after the killing of George Floyd in the USA.
I had no intention to make a designated lockdown piece. In fact I was reluctant to do anything at all. But then I found a note I’ve had written to myself: “Muka makes my heart sing”.
What a calling! As soon as I started working with those magic muka threads I was feeling at home. It was all I needed to feel deeply grounded and to trust life again.
There was no concept in my mind whatsoever. All I did was letting my hands speak and my heart sing. After many years of working with different media, I figured that this intuitive process is the reason why I feel driven to create art. I’m able to access the unthinkable, I get answers to questions I did not know I have, I can figure things out I couldn’t otherwise.
By working on this piece I have embodied that downs are as valuable as ups, that they are inevitable parts of a spiralling movement. I’m finally able to feel the joy of riding these waves and let myself be this unfolding spiral. I believe we are here to grow. Sometimes this includes dealing with an unpredictable virus and sometimes very sadly with another black life lost.
...
Hand spun muka (fibre of harakeke /New Zealand Flax) and silk on wire, dyed with indigo and mangrove
...
For more photos and the process behind this piece check out my blogpost: https://www.islafabu.com/blog/ups-and-downs-a-work-in-progress
Flow with me - up and down - through waves of hope and grief, excitement and fear, trust and doubt.
Are these ups and downs two dimensional curves or part of a spiralling movement?
Maybe all we need to do is changing our perspective, maybe even bowing down to see the magic.
...
Creating this artwork has helped me to navigate through my ups and downs during lockdown and through all that has bubbled up after the killing of George Floyd in the USA.
I had no intention to make a designated lockdown piece. In fact I was reluctant to do anything at all. But then I found a note I’ve had written to myself: “Muka makes my heart sing”.
What a calling! As soon as I started working with those magic muka threads I was feeling at home. It was all I needed to feel deeply grounded and to trust life again.
There was no concept in my mind whatsoever. All I did was letting my hands speak and my heart sing. After many years of working with different media, I figured that this intuitive process is the reason why I feel driven to create art. I’m able to access the unthinkable, I get answers to questions I did not know I have, I can figure things out I couldn’t otherwise.
By working on this piece I have embodied that downs are as valuable as ups, that they are inevitable parts of a spiralling movement. I’m finally able to feel the joy of riding these waves and let myself be this unfolding spiral. I believe we are here to grow. Sometimes this includes dealing with an unpredictable virus and sometimes very sadly with another black life lost.
...
Hand spun muka (fibre of harakeke /New Zealand Flax) and silk on wire, dyed with indigo and mangrove
...
For more photos and the process behind this piece check out my blogpost: https://www.islafabu.com/blog/ups-and-downs-a-work-in-progress