Uno spazio

Uno spazio (2013)

unframed price

cotton fibre, pigment dyes, leather, recycled material

H 39 x W 26 cm

Suggested framed dimensions:
H 59 x W 46 cm (min)

This two tone composition incorporates coarsely shredded re-cycled paper. The mashing process was left incomplete to prevent the pulp fibres from interlocking fully, thereby bringing fragility to the work.

Uno spazio was created when simple decisive decisions had to be made during intimate, brittle moments in time. I imagined a white space that had to be filled with two strong colours, black and red, reflecting the break-up of the structure of a family after loss and the rebuilding that follows.

Occasionally, a piece will fall away - this is an integral part of the work resulting from a deliberate decision not to reinforce the piece with glue.

Note on the technique:

The cotton fibre pulp works are built up using layers of dyed pulp in a wet-on-wet or wet-on-dry, hand mould and deckle process. There is no glue in the mixture as the 'paper' holds together through the natural interweaving of the fibres themselves.

The pulp is made predominantly from cotton linters which is repeatedly mashed with water before different natural or synthetic, fibre-reactive pigment dyes are added to create the basic palette. In some cases, organic material is mixed with or embedded in the pulps, with the possibility of larger elements being stripped away when wet or dry leaving a 3D graffito-style impression in the revealed layers. An important feature is the uneven edges (deckle edges) that the process produces.

The natural light plays a big part in the drying process which can take 3 to 4 weeks. Natural sunlight and the right temperature help the chemical reaction between pigment and fibre resulting in stronger, high-density colours.