Weaving the Stories

I've been thinking a lot about the performance aspect of the my piece. I feel like I've been neglecting it as I try to finish the physical work. I have been using the concept of Grandmother Spider as inspiration for my piece. I have been rereading one of my favorite books, Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko. The book is written as a ceremony and emphasizes the importance of change and flexibility in order for the people to thrive and grow. It's a tough lesson, but necessary. The 'wise ones' (in this case, the matriarchs) have to change the ceremonies in order to keep the family safe and moving forward. Anyway, I have also been doing some online research to find other stories featuring Grandmother Spider. Below is an excerpt I found on this website http://www.herbshealing.com/herbal_ezine/September05/goddess.htm

THE WEB OF LIFE
by Taino Ti (I share the Spirit of the Earth with you)

When the Universe was still so dark that not even shadows could be seen in the night, Grandmother Spider sat in her web in the Sky World, waiting and watching. No one knows how old Grandmother Spider is, or how long she sat waiting for the Universal Mind to awaken. But, every Creature Being who has ever lived knows her song and dance as the weaver of the Web of Life.

From her web, Grandmother Spider observed the first thoughts as the Universal Mind awakened from the dream. Seven energy beings floated out from the shining light in the center of the Universal Mind and solidified into bright, shining stars who went out to take their places in the Sky World. Grandmother Spider took a very deep breath and softly began to sing her weaving song while she danced across the Sky. As she spun her thread, Grandmother Spider envisioned the Web of Life. Within moments, she had woven her web connecting the seven stars and creating the Spirit Doorway through which all of the rest of life would enter.

Here is some info...

I don't have any imagery for you right now but here is a little of what I have collected as background and press release information for my piece...

Merissa Sincavage Seminara

"Multi-Tasker Mother"

Strength, Warmth, Energy, Energy, Energy

Silk, Acorns, Buttons, Wood, Leaves?, Wool, Cotton, Stainless Steel, Dyes, Pigments, Wax...

There are 2 components to this piece.

Both of them have objects, existing or created, symbolizing "strength, warmth and energy".

The hanging piece is a mobile representing air, heaven, future, creativity, thoughts, imagination.

The standing portion stands for earth, bound, stable, balance, grounded.

The piece developed from reading the myth of Persephone... and looking at the balancing she had to do between the worlds... heaven, earth, underworld. This resonated with me. I feel like a mother/multi tasker has this kind of juggling act.

masculine vs feminine and materials--

Well, my work tends to be very autobiographical. I seem to sick to what I know and who do I know best? myself (most of the time), a women, artist, mother, human... this is the work that I always seem most proud of and connected to. I love to make beautiful things and for others to view them the same but life is not always pretty and so neither is my art.

This piece is still very much about me but is outside my comfort zone in the fact that it is three dimensional. I tend to work 2D sticking to one surface and building on it in layers through surface design techniques. Strength, Warmth, Energy, Energy, Energy emerged on its own ,seemingly to me in the beginning. But has come to make some sense as a wade through all the materials I have been drawn to, the techniques I am employing, and life I have been experiencing. The materials have been chosen based on intrigue and my necessity to create objects that are symbols for key things in my life. These symbols are my own creation but with the knowledge that some of these objects already have strong symbolism, which I will try to be build upon and grow. I am going to use my objects to build three dimensional layers to stick to something that is familiar to me.

The piece grew from one piece, the mobile(1st component) to two after laboring over the idea of cyclical life. Persephone's life and how cyclical it was made sense and seems to be how most life is lead now. Day to day, beginning to end, life to death. Everything seems to have a start and and a finish. I wanted to be able to illustrate that idea in this work. It will be present in the gradation of color. This is something that is very obvious to me in the change of the seasons. Color changes, temperature shifts, life/daily chores change... another link to the myth of Persephone and and her seasonal life changes.

The grounded piece(2nd component) is an extension to the idea of cycle. The color gradation will continue through this piece linking them together but in some ways it does have a masculine feel to it. It will hold objects that are heavier, darker and more masculine in feel. It is more about strength, which in society tends to be a more masculine trait. So, that is my only link to masculine I am feeling/ feeling at the moment but my work really tends to evolve, especially this piece, so more may come up. I will let you know.

I hope you were able to take something away from all of this and make sense of it.

Happy New Year!