Skip to page content...
View Submissions
- Please choose an option:
- Title of Abstract:
Going With The Flow (Ref #149)
- Date:
- 04-10-2006 22:28:33
- Status:
-
Accepted
- Rating:
- 8
-
Details:
- This paper will examine the mindfulness of the maker, specifically the relationship between the mind and the body that contemporary fiber artists experience while creating their work. I will present the results of in-depth personal interviews with a number of emerging and established fiber artists in order to begin to academically document this multifaceted and complex relationship. Craftspeople in general and fiber artists in particular are involved in techniques and processes that are repetitive, cumulative, and extremely time consuming. Notions of flow, losing track of time, peak experiences and meditative moments experienced will be explored, as well as the concepts of body knowledge and memory often involved in creating with textile materials and processes.
Along with documenting the experiences of contemporary makers, this interdisciplinary research will consider the multiple intelligences theory of Howard Gardner, specifically the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, brought to the fore by Bruce Metcalf in his writings on craft as a distinct discipline. The experience of "Flow" introduced by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi will also be examined in relation to the personal experiences and processes of these women. This research stemmed directly from the state of mind that I have experienced in my own studio work, which tends to focus on the use of accumulative and repetitive craft and textile techniques, with a heavy emphasis on process. This provided me with an insider stance, allowing for the formulation of relevant and emergent streams of inquiry.
Craft artists and their work are frequently discussed by craft historians, critics, curators and connoisseurs, but aside from infrequent interviews in monographs and craft journals, their own voices are rarely heard. This is being somewhat addressed with the practice of conducting oral history interviews with leaders in the field in both the U.S., with the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and the Decorative Arts in America, amongst other organizations, and in the UK, with the Narrative Threads Project, for the Constance Howard Resource and Research Center in Textiles. In Canada, however, there have been no steps taken to mine this rich and valuable resource and to provide necessary and pertinent primary research material. I will begin to address this deficiency by presenting the voices and experiences of these Canadian women woven into a cohesive presentation which explores their working processes and highlights their internationally recognized art and craft work.
Reviewer Comments: