Weaving | Kate McCalmont-Woods

Whilst I was in London I went to the Hayward Gallery to see Chiharu Shiota’s Threads of Life.

It was captivating. It wasn’t just the scale, the sheer amount and complexity of the thread, or its immersive effect, it was also the effect it had on what is viewed through it. I stood in front of the dress in the cabinet for ages. The fragmentation of the image of the dress through the threads gives it an almost spectral presence. I was also fascinated by how the threads were stapled to the wall, and woven in between each other, casting shadows which create further depth.

I watched some footage of her working when I got back, and looked at some of her drawings. They remind me of Do Ho Suh. Having used thread recently, I can see myself using it more in the future. I even like the effect of it in the photos, which are only 2D images.

I chose the etching workshop on the Low Res. The others didn’t really appeal to me. At least this year I was a little less ‘rabbit in the headlights’, although I’m not sure about my choice just to draw wavy lines. The etching process was fine – I remembered most of it from last year.

I quite like them when they are placed side by side.

And then Paul mentioned the word ‘aquatint’. I had trouble with it last year – working out what was going on. I understood it a bit better this time, but I don’t think that my image was best suited to it. At times the fine lines disappeared and I was left with blocks of tone, and even Paul’s suggestion to use extender didn’t really make it any better. A bit of creativity in the inking up process just about had me feeling ok about it. This is probably the best one.