Learning from Others

Yes, sigh, I know; nothing for ages and then two posts in one day.  I've spent the day consolidating my list of outstanding posts going back now ONLY to 2015.  I will get there, eventually.  Whilst so diligently engaged, I found this post from a visit to the Portimao Museum, Portugal in 2011 and thought it worthwhile revisiting in light of my OTS (quilts-by-me blog) and other artistic endeavours.   

Portimao: Photo Marathon.  The Portimao Museum had organised a Photo Marathon Competition (2011) and on our visit we were fortunate to see the creative results.  Firstly there were 2 categories – Underwater (serious underwater camera work) and Digital.  Each category was then broken down into a series of themes to which the entrants had to produce 3 A4 sized photos.  Digital for example, had 8 themes and therefore needed to produce 24 photos.  These photos were simply mounted on card (no frames) and exhibited in theme order.

Seeing them made me understand why the winner had been chosen.  His work was essentially the tightest – all photos were portrait, all perfect close-ups that complemented each other, of subjects that spoke clearly of each theme yet related well as a whole.  The colours were bold and dramatic subject lighting was well balanced throughout.  In this way the whole worked as a complete presentation, flowing well as a design, almost mosaic like in quality, which fitted the surrounding old city (and its pavings).

Being a quilter I got a little caught up in this project.  A big part of working in textiles is taking the time to stand back, balancing the “pieces” or blocks into a well-balanced whole.  So, I learned quite a lot about the value of working in series; imagining connections between a single work, a series or indeed of a larger body of work – just like an artistic mind map.  Fascinating.

I sadly don’t have any photos of these photographic works at the Museum (no photos allowed) so I’ve included some general ones from their collection instead to add to the watery theme.

(By the way, I hope the new Tag boxes make searching easier...)

Life in the Bronze Age

Museum of Mycenae
21^st July 2014

Cyclopean walls & Lion Gate

Discovering Mycenae, a Bronze Age civilization dating 1550-1200BC, is another feather in the cap of Heinrich Schliemann (who you’ll remember from Troy, of course).  Enthused by his rich findings on the basis of Homer’s epics, he also uncovered the grave and fortress of Agamemnon in 1874 deep in the Greek Peloponnese. 

Agamemnon's gold death mask

Aside from wandering the citadel with its famous Lion Gates, we were able to visit immense tholos tombs, built like beehives to house the (important) dead.  In one of these, Schliemann confirmed Homer’s description of the city as “rich in gold”, uncovering the wealth of Agamemnon.  

We spent time in the nearby museum which houses some of the most interesting finds from the site and reveals how sophisticated this civilization was.  Clay tablets inscribed with writing afford us insight into life within the complex and decorated dwellings depict hunting and battle scenes, religious activities and processions of court ladies. 

Sadly textiles did not survive (hardly surprising!) but we are at least able to glimpse their lives from remaining artefacts. Most engaging was decorated pottery, ornamental utensils and ornate jewellery made from precious stones and gold.  

  

Travelling with Locals

Cherry Blossom

Next morning we met to begin our tour.  On the way to the bus station and through the Kyoto Train Station, we explored food options including a huge food hall (depachika) in the Department store basement.  DJ’s, move over!  Here we came into contact with Japan’s favourite takeaway, the bento box lunch.  We were able to collect our Japan Rail passes inside the train station. Thus armed, we took off by bus to explore Kyoto’s offerings.  

We made our way up “Tea Pot Hill” climbing steep cobblestone paths lined with wonderful pottery shops.  Our destination, providing we didn’t stop too often to admire delicate Japanese tea sets, was Kiyomizu temple. 

The temple is a vast complex of shrines and pagodas built into a hillside with wonderful views across Kyoto.  Kiyomizu means “pure water” and many Japanese visit to take the sacred waters of the Otowa-no-taki Falls that flow through the complex. 

We were lucky enough to catch site of some maiko in beautiful traditional costumes amongst the madly flowering azaleas.  It was too late in the season for that burst of sweet pink cherry blossom (sakura) though.

Maiko with their red collars



Gion, on the eastern bank of the Kamogawa River is Edo era Japan and was developed to suit the needs of travellers and tourists in medieval times.  It became known for its tea houses (ochaya), famed for its geisha (geiko), and popular for its auspicious temples.  We learned that apprentice geisha are locally called maiko and their quarters, okiya. 

After exploring the Heian Shrine and its beautiful surrounding gardens (where we met an Australian exchange student), we made our way to the Museum of Traditional Craft & Industry.

Sadly I can’t remember a lot about this museum, however I have a couple of photos of some delightful silk fabrics that were on display.  Many silks are only woven in Kyoto and some are still loomed by hand.

Perhaps one of the best references I have for Japanese textiles is the book written by Sunny Yang and Rochelle M. Narasin "Textile Art of Japan" (2000).

  

Silks from the Museum of Traditional Craft & Industry