My journey started in Avonmouth (a
sea port in the UK) in 1988 whilst researching the
relationship between wildlife and industry for a
commission. There I saw four cormorants sitting on a
rusted pier, drying their wings in the sun, a
functional gesture suggesting a paradoxical attitude
of submission and strength: triumph through
vulnerability.
These birds were the focus
of my 1989 exhibition ‘The Plight of the Bird’, signifying
the start of an exploration centred on the development of a bird / bird-woman
/ feather: icons adopted as facets of a personal symbol. Certain monoprints
from ‘The Plight of the Bird’accentuated contradictions inherent
in their demeanour: pride, aggression, pathos and dignity. These works
formed the introduction to a later exhibition shown at the Hot Bath
Gallery, Bath, during April 1996, - ‘The Evolution of the Bird’.
This exhibition which developed
over the interim 7 years was split into three
sections:-
'The Last Birds’ - monoprint
silkscreens printed onto heavy paper, had much of the
detail screened separately on Japanese tissue which
was subsequently collaged onto the base print. This
change in surface texture and opportunity to
physically distort the images allowed a mode of
expression otherwise denied in conventional
silkscreen printing. Imagewise these last birds were
released from the recurring heraldic sequence which
was central to the birds in the former exhibition ;
they became skeletal as they disintegrated, falling
apart as they confronted a transfiguring force and
evolved into the Harpyia.
The Harpyia, the
bird-women, were the snatchers and personifications of the storm-wind.
In a moment of truth and metamorphosis, the birds decomposed, leaving
a core of raw femininity wherein rests potency - which is not always
alluring or polite. These works tended to be smaller, using a variety
of media including different forms of print, paper and selected objects.
Some follow the format of ‘The Last Birds’, whilst the series
‘The Man Who Set the Harpy Free, What Will Become of Him Now?’
had a sculptural focus using heavily dyed paper, photocopy, etching,
feathers and string.
After the offer of the Hot Bath show I decided to start
work on the third section, 'The Meditation'. This included the 'Phoenix' work, a series of dyed constructed paperworks which were
intended to create a conclusion, but instead I found myself with an
important starting point. The 'Phoenix' series of paperworks used the
neck feathers of a male pheasant, which when tied into dark dyed creased
paper had the quality of flames. The work generated a feeling of stillness,
particularly when the feathers were used in a formal manner, and from
there I started exploring different ways of transforming the feathers
within the context of various paper surfaces eventually arriving at
constructed paper/silkscreen works, which is where I am at the moment.
Since the exhibition I have continued
work in the studio on the development of the constructed paperworks,
and am at an exciting and important juncture - the point at which I
feel ready to start doing some major pieces. It is my intention to embark
upon a series of large scale constructed paperworks developing 'The
Meditation' works into multiplesection silkscreened pieces. One of the
paperworks would be in the form of an installation.
And so the exploration of the bird
continues ........
E-mail Anita Ford a.ford@netgates.co.uk
Indian Summer
Prints and paperworks by Anita Ford
http://www.netgates.co.uk/gallery/anitaford/
The information resource for printmakers
