Threads of Time - project Alchemy, Astrology and Medicine

Last October I saw a leaflet at the 'Needlecraft' shop in Hemel Hempstead, inviting textile and mixed media artists to take part in an exciting project organised by the Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies library. I really needed a new creative challenge, so I signed up for the first meeting at the Local Studies Library in Hertford. The project involves documents from the Wittewronge family collection as inspiration for pieces of textile art to be exhibited at HALS in June 2014. 

Needlelace from the Wittewronge collection DE/Lw/F32

HALS

I was surprised to see that over 30 women had turned up for the meeting and another date was planned for the people who couldn't make the initial meeting. We viewed some of the old documents, which included some old maps and beautiful handwritten scripts.
Being a Dutch expatriate myself I was particularly interested to learn that the Wittewronge family originated from Flanders, part of The Low Countries which was occupied by the Spanish in the 16^th and 17^th Century. Sir John Wittewronge (1618 – 1693), the grandson of Jacques Wittewronghele who fled Ghent with his family in 1564, even altered Rothamstead Manor, which he bought in 1640 to include Dutch gables.
I love a bit of history, especially if I can bridge time and discover connections to myself. So I was quite keen to have a look at some of the other documents in the Wittewronge collection. After looking on the website of the National Archives I discovered to my surprise a series of documents entitled 'Alchemy, astrology and medicine' (see here for a link).

This made me very curious and excited as I have a life long interest in these subjects which inspires my artwork on many occasions. So I arranged to come and view the documents whilst my friend Jackie was attending the second initial meeting. I have never been to the archives before, let alone handling old documents. I couldn't help to be excited when I imagined that someone almost 400 years ago wrote these documents and studied the subjects I am interested in.

Documents on alchemy, astrology and medicine.
 Ref. HALS DE/Lw/Z6

Apart from 3 printed almanacs from the 1640's the other documents were all handwritten treatises in French, Dutch, English and Latin. Difficult to read and understand but with some interesting marks, doodles and pictures.
 

Doodles in a treatise on alchemy Ref. HALS DE/Lw/Z6

There was one page with an alchemical formulae drawn on it. It contains 2 female names, one spelled exactly as mine. How intriguing, but what does it mean? Perhaps the owner tried to work out which of the 2 women were most compatible to marry him. A recipe for a love potion!

 

Alchemical formula for marriage? Ref. HALS DE/Lw/Z6

I love the mysterious looking alchemical symbols and definitely like to incorporate these somehow in my project.

I also like the look of old manuscripts and books, antique and yellowing pages, disintegrating book-covers and so on. I haven't really started to design or work on anything yet, but I am collecting lots of ideas on my Pinterest boards, which you can follow by clicking on 'here'.

I have been fascinated for some time in mixed media as used in 'altered books' and assemblage art, but I have never made anything myself in that manner. I have signed up for a workshop with Paula Watkins at the Embroiderers' Guild on altered books in February and hope to use this towards my project.
So watch this space.

Happy New Year for all ye Stars

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!
Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne. 

(From Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns, 1788)

First a very Happy, Creative, Inspirational and Healthy New Year to you all. 

 

Brilliant Universe - a close up from Labour 12 - Pisces

If there is one thing about blogging that bothers me, it's inconsistency. When I like to follow someone's blog and there are no posts appearing for weeks or months on end without any explanation I start:
  a. wandering if the Blog-person is alright.
  b. imagining all kinds of scenarios and reasons of what is happening in that person's life.
  c. eventually giving up checking them out, unless it is a friend.
  d. finally come to the conclusion that perhaps there is more to people's life then blogging.

So apologies to all of you who have been checking me out, whilst I wasn't there. I hope you skipped a., b. and c. and arrived quicker to d. then I normally do. My intention was and actually still is to blog at least every week, but as you can see I am not very good in keeping up with the regular practise of blogging. (If you subscribe to my blog Blogger will let you know when I post something, so it is less disappointing to be faced with my inactivity).

Lucky Star - a close up from Labour 9 - Sagittarius

Apart from keeping busy I have of course a perfect astrological explanation for my inconsistent blogging activity, as the stars or better the place of the planets at the time of my birth can tell.
If you think astrology is all gobbledygook then you may want to skip this post, but for anyone interested in astrology here is a little explanation of my erratic behaviour in communication.

Beaded Universe - a close up from Labour 10 - Capricorn

Of course astrology itself was/is classified as a science depending on your definition of 'science' and many top businessmen, high society members, celebrities and ordinary folk will consult astrologers.
Astrology is an enormous subject to study as it has many different applications from psychological, financial, relationship to mundane/world affairs. I have studied astrology for over 30 years now and I still feel I am scratching the surface.

Purple Trilogy - a close up from Labour 12 - Pisces

The planet Mercury in anyone's birth chart says something about the way you think and communicate. At the time of my birth Mercury was found in the air sign of Aquarius, which does like communication and also related technologies. Some of the character traits of Aquarius are unconventional, (can be shocking), unusual ideas, love of freedom (of speech), group orientated and erratic behaviour. People born with Mercury in Aquarius have a quick and original mind which can be challenging for when they speak their mind, especially when you are Dutch like me!
Some say that Mercury in Aquarius produces a mathematical and scientific mind, I can't say that's the case with me, but I do love numbers and I am interested in various scientific subjects, especially the unusual occult sciences. I occasionally buy a Science magazine and to top it all off my husband works in the Space industry as a microwave engineer, designing devices for satellite communication systems. A very Mercury/Aquarian job.

True Love - a close up from Labour 9 - Sagittarius

Years ago I studied the book The Labours of Hercules - an astrological interpretation by Alice Bailey and gave several talks about it to meditation and philosophy groups. I promised myself at the time that one day I would create a visual interpretation of my study and the subsequent insights I gained from it. In 2007 I was finally able to make the time (it took me 9 months) and created 12 panels presenting abstract landscapes/countries ruled by the 12 astrological signs through which Hercules was travelling on his spiritual journey. The series is called Tracking Hercules. The photo's in this blog are all close ups of a few of the panels, some you might recognize as the banners for my blog and facebook page.

Kiama's Charm no. 22

I have finally come to the last posting of the tribute trail I left this summer, in the US in memory of my daughter Kiama.
Our 3 week holiday had come to an end. It has done us both a world of good to spend 3 weeks away from home, breaking all our habits and patterns and surround ourselves with new sights and sounds, living a different life for a while. I felt truly energised and inspired. Creating the charms and leaving this tribute trail was not only fun but an important part of my grieving process. It definitely helps, expressing your thought and feelings when you suffer a bereavement and to find ways of creating something positive out of it.
I thank the friend, who, during a lunch just a week before we went holiday, suggested to do a trail - you know who you are!

So on the 3rd of July we spend a couple of hours at Sea-Tac airport (Seattle-Tacoma airport) waiting for our flight back to London. Kiama loved travelling, both on the inside and out in the world. Although she hadn't made any firm plans, she was always talking about travelling after finishing university. So what better place then an airport to symbolise this part of her.

In walking around the airport we came across an exhibition display, near Gate A-1, celebrating the life of Jimi Hendrix. We had no idea that he was originally from Seattle. I don't know if Kiama knew much of the music of Hendrix, but she certainly loved learning to play the guitar.

 

Another talented artist who died so young and for me another reason to make this the last place for the last of the charms - no.22, symbolising the 22 years of Kiama's life.

The charm was placed on a panel on the back of the wall.

Here is Kiama playing the guitar - the photo was taken almost exactly 2 years ago, 25th of August 2011 in Spain!!! She was visiting one of her Spanish friends during her holiday there.

Rest in peace, my lovely

Kiama's Charm no.20 - Recycle Art

We visited  Dick & Jane's Spot, which is right next door to the skatepark in Ellensburg, where we hung Kiama's Charm no.21,  which I posted about before.
 

Dick and Jane are 2 artists who turned their house and garden into a wonderful art site. They used all kinds of materials from bottle tops, scrap metal and wood, nuts and bolts, bicycle parts, paint and lots of reflectors.

I absolutely love this place, the use of all the recycled materials is so imaginative I couldn't get enough of it - walking around the house, shooting photo's and peeping through the holes in the fence...

A kind of totem pole creature.  The graffiti wall in the background is part of the skatepark next door.

 A tree made with bicycle wheels.

Kiama would have loved this place, as it was such a tribute to what we can do with recycling. She created herself some art work out of bicycle parts when she attended university, like this Ram’s Head sculpture, which she sold to The Bicycle Shop Café in Norwich.

 

  If you ever happen to visit this lovely spot in Norwich, you can find the sculpture downstairs in the Handlebar.

So I had to place one of Kiama's Charm's somewhere at Dick & Jane's Spot. I decided to hang no. 20 on the holder of the Guest Book after writing a message in the book in case they (Dick & Jane and their visitors) wonder what this charm is all about...

 I know from my friend Mary, that the charm is gone now, but who ever found it didn't make the effort to contact me.

Still, I do hope they were curious enough to peep at my blog...

Kiama's Charm no.18 - News coverage

For all of you, who follow my postings on the tribute trail I left in the USA in memory of my daughter Kiama there is a little follow up story on Kiama's Charm - no.18, which was found by 2 girls in the place Odessa in Washington.

Every 2 weeks I skype with my friend in Ellensburg and last week she told me that her brother, who lives in Odessa visited her and spoke about the intrigue of Kiama's Charm. Apparently it became the talk of the town, as the story was placed in the local newspaper, The Odessa Record.

Thank you, people from Odessa for your kind support!!

Kiama's Charm - no.16, 17 and 19

After a night hooking up and parked on the driveway of Mary's sister near Snoqualmie we cleaned the RV and took it back to Cruise America near Seattle. We had a few days left with our friend in Ellensburg.

One of the days there we visited the Clymer Museum & Gallery and got stuck inside for a while because of a freak thunderstorm with a downpour which turned the roads into small rivers.

When the rain eventually stopped we took our sandals off to cross the road for a coffee and watch people wading through the waters. By the time we left the café most of the water in this street was gone.

I placed a charm for Kiama on a bench in North Pearl Street.

One night, after a not very exciting meal out, we passed a sports shop with lots of skateboards in the shop window. I am sure Kiama would have popped in the shop if she would have passed here.

There was a hook underneath the letterbox, perfect for no. 17

The same evening we decided to rent a DVD, so we walked the streets of Ellensburg to look for a Redbox. We came past the abandoned Ellensburg Windmill (originally build as an office for a petrol station).

Across the street was a Redbox on the forecourt of a petrol station.

Like many of us Kiama loved watching films. One of her all time favourites was the feelgood French film Amélie. This film inspired her so much that it found it's way in her approach to life and her love and ambition of making a positive difference in the life of others was reflected in many of her art projects.

I had a mix up with the numbers on the charms in my pocket, so it was no.19 instead of no.18 which came to hang on some kind of electricity transformer next to the Redbox at Circle K on 204, S Main Street.

Kiama's Charm - No.14 and 15

We were nearly at the end of our roadtrip with the RV and we didn't manage to book a campsite for  our last night, so we took a risk turning up at the Maryhill State Park.

A very simple campsite on the most beautiful spot next to the Columbia River.

The park had a variation of beautiful trees providing necessary shade on hot summer days.

and the sprinklers in the morning threw lots of magical rainbows above the lush green grass.

I hung Charm no.14 on the no.48 signpost of our camping spot. This was after the park ranger came to put a 'reserved' notice up for the next visitor.


The next morning we went to visit the The Maryhilll Museum of Art in Goldendale, WA, situated above the Columbia River Gorge.

With the most beautiful views.

 

There was an outdoor sculpture exhibition with some fantastic sculptures, 

like this 'Quantam Man' by Julian Voss-Andreae.

and this intriguing concrete installation by the architect Brad Cloepfil. It is called 'Maryhill Overlook' and it offers a myriad of interesting views of the Columbia River Gorge.

It was a hot day and there were lots of little lizards about sunbathing on the stone walls.

The museum has an interesting and surprising collection of sculptures and watercolours by Rodin, Native American Art, Royal possessions of Queen Marie (of Romania), a whole gallery with hundreds of chess sets and more.

The Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing of the museum opened just 2 days after Kiama's death
on the 13th of May 2012

There was also an Education Centre with an exhibition of photographs made by Native American teens, who took part in a residential art development camp. It was accompanied by moving stories of what they learned about themselves and each other during the program.

Kiama would have loved this place - art/education, scenic views and her favourite little animals playing hide and seek in and out the sun.

So Charm no.14 found a place here:

on a little pipe sticking out of the wall, facing the steps to the entrance.