braid
The work was inspired by the ideas of the Native American Indian cultures and their relationship to hair. At Rhôd Art Camp 2017 I collaborated with artists Ann Jordan & Claire Loiuse Prosser and we undertook a spontaneous live performance where we unravelled found hemp rope, then braided it, and shared stories of our hair experiences. We then wore the rope braids as crowns and ceremoniously buried one braid in the soil, burned one braid in a cauldron, and unravelled one braid into the river.
Taking this private live act and transforming it into a public artwork for Made in Roath community arts festival in Cardiff (2017). We presented two live performances; An opening ceremony – ‘Three Crowns’ and A closing ceremony – ‘Water, Earth, Fire’.
In the opening ceremony 'Three Crowns' we each read transcripts (from a text written by a Native American elder Paula Lightening Woman Johnstone) as we created a crown made from the braided rope for each other. For the closing ceremony 'Earth, Water, Fire' we took the three rope braids created in the opening ceremony and committed them to earth - by burial in the garden grounds, to water - through immersing them in a urn of water, and to fire - through burning in a havan kund (indian ceremonial cauldron).
Visitors to the garden during the installation were warmly invited to share braiding techniques along the railings where we had hung bundles of hemp rope that had been unravelled. Visitors were also invited through conversation with each other and with us to tell their stories of hair experiences.
Taking this private live act and transforming it into a public artwork for Made in Roath community arts festival in Cardiff (2017). We presented two live performances; An opening ceremony – ‘Three Crowns’ and A closing ceremony – ‘Water, Earth, Fire’.
In the opening ceremony 'Three Crowns' we each read transcripts (from a text written by a Native American elder Paula Lightening Woman Johnstone) as we created a crown made from the braided rope for each other. For the closing ceremony 'Earth, Water, Fire' we took the three rope braids created in the opening ceremony and committed them to earth - by burial in the garden grounds, to water - through immersing them in a urn of water, and to fire - through burning in a havan kund (indian ceremonial cauldron).
Visitors to the garden during the installation were warmly invited to share braiding techniques along the railings where we had hung bundles of hemp rope that had been unravelled. Visitors were also invited through conversation with each other and with us to tell their stories of hair experiences.
images below from the Made in Roath community art festival in Cardiff 2017
