CONTEMPORARY ART IN A TRADITIONAL MEDIUM
Planetary Visions from the South Pole
For this project of the South Poles of the eight planets in our Solar System, I drew on rug hooking traditions, scientific data from various international space probes, and my own vivid imagination to create a contemporary amalgam of Art and Science. Each piece required its own set of decisions both artistic and scientific.
At the beginning of each piece, I sketched a basic outline onto the linen burlap backing using a variety of images. Using a rich understanding of colour developed in my photography practice, I selected a variety of rich wools, silks, and complex synthetic fabrics to add depth and light to the piece. During the intense process of hooking each individual strand loop by loop, the intimate sensory feeling of the work is created. I created movement in each piece by adding unusual colours or fabrics to disrupt the eye. Just as I had to step back from my hooking frame to gain perspective, I would encourage the viewer to stand close to each piece to observe the details and then stand back to take in the whole image.
As I moved on to the next planet, a whole new set of colours and data took hold of my imagination. I was surprised at how the feelings in each piece emerged: the lotus like calm of the ice cap of Mars, the female imagery of the turbulence at the South Pole of Venus, the vague form of Uranus with its view of the glorious Milky Way. Each planet emerged as a story.
I chose to examine a portion of each of the eight planets in our Solar System using the fixed perspective of the South Pole. By maintaining this fixed point, but altering the scale, the colours, the type of data used, and the location of Space in each planet, I have created both a frame of reference and a disruption of convention. This dichotomy allows the viewer to pause and marvel at the beauty of our Solar System.
To read the R.U.G Magazine article from 2019, A Pathway to the Stars through Science and Art: Hooking the South Poles of our Solar System, please click here.
Note: this series is for sale as a set (8 planets), please inquire for details via email.
South Pole of Earth, 33″ x 29″. 2017, hand-cut wool and jersey, sari silk, wool roving, wool and synthetic yarn on linen.
Image from International Space Station. The image shows the curve of the Earth’s atmosphere, Antarctica, and a partial view of the Antarctic Ocean with cloud covering. The tip of south America is visible.
South Pole of Mars, detail, 18″ x 18″, 2017, hand-cut wool and jersey, sari silk, wool roving, wool and synthetic yarn on linen.
Image from Mars Express spacecraft, 2015. This image shows frozen water and carbon dioxide in white, dry river beds, and soil containing iron oxide.
South Pole of Saturn, detail. 28″ x 19″, hand-cut wool and jersey, sari silk, wool roving, wool and synthetic yarn on linen.
Image from Cassini spacecraft NASA 2004 with near infrared colors.
South Pole of Jupiter, 27″ x 26″, 2017, hand-cut wool and jersey, sari silk, wool roving, wool and synthetic yarn on linen.
Image from the Cassini space probe NASA 2000.
South Pole of Uranus and the Milky Way, detail, 32″ x 18″, 2017, hand-cut wool and jersey, sari silk, wool roving, wool and synthetic yarn on linen.
Image from Voyager 2 spacecraft, 1986. This is the view of the Milky Way from the Hubble Telescope and from Earth’s International Space Station. Neptune can be seen in the distance.
South Pole of Neptune, 20″ x 17″, 2017, hand-cut wool and jersey, sari silk, wool roving, wool and synthetic yarn on linen.
Image from Voyager 2 Space probe 1986. Methane, hydrogen, and helium gases give the planet its blue color. Uranus is in the background.
South Pole of Venus, detail, 17″ x 16″, 2017, hand-cut wool and jersey, sari silk, wool roving, wool and synthetic yarn on linen.
Image from European Space Agency’s Venus Express, 2007.Visible and Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) shows the hot twin vortices at Venus’ South Pole.
South Pole of Mercury, detail, 25″ x 19″, 2017, hand-cut wool and jersey, sari silk, wool roving, wool and synthetic yarn on linen.
False color topographical map showing the impact of meteorites on the planet’s surface. The sun’s gravity pulls Mercury’s atmosphere away from the planet.