ThreadandWord

'Listening with our eyes'

'it is difficult to be responsible to an environment, if we have not first listened in to find out who is present'  J.E. Skinner.

Our research for thewalk with #ThreadandWord, with its links to Cecilia Vucña's poem Thread and Word and the associated installation Precario at Inverleithh House in 1970; as well as an unexpected introductory walk through the Bluebell woods in Coventry with Professor Jonathan Skinner, are already ensuring that we listen with our eyes.

Yesterday I received this from one of the artists collaborating on  the#ThreadandWord walk in Edinburgh on July 7th.


This is from Nicola Weir :

‘Inspired by nature and foraging, and loving the bluebells linking in ..have done some research, and discovered in ancient times they were used as a book binding glue, and starch for linen.. seems so appropriate to use this in what I am doing..so hope to try out, and hopefully use in some way with the stitching. 

Luckily have lots of bluebells in our garden! I believe not meant to uproot in the wild.

So will update you on experiment..fingers crossed..’

For more about Nicola and her work : http://www.edinburghprintmakers.co.uk/artist/nicola-weir

I was so elated and delighted as I really felt that the process we are using, engaging with walking as research with sited readings, does lead us on a personal journey allowing us to respond and develop new work as a part of our artistic practice.

It brought to mind the following quote from The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane:

The literature of wayfaring is long, existing as poems, songs, stories, treatises and route guides, maps, novels and essays. The compact between writing and walking is almost as old as literature - a walk is only a step away from a story, and every path tells’

This text also finds its own echo in the poetry of Cecilia Vicuña:

'La palabra es un hilo y el hilo es lenguaje.          (  Word is thread and thread is language.

Cuerpo no lineal.

Una linea asociándose a otras lineas.'                     Non linear body

(Cecilia Vicun1a, Palbra e Hilo )                               A line associated to other lines.)

This has found expression in Nicola's work, which she has described as follows:
      

'Stitching small samples for the artist walk linking 'Threads' to Inverleith House - on pure linen and cotton muslin. light and tactile threads..natural forms linking to the connection with Royal Botanic Gardens.

 The Artists Pool, https://www.theartistspool.co.uk linking artists & coming together at Dundas Street Gallery in July. Edinburgh Threads - art, poetry, place connecting.'

Weaving , pen words and paper by Elspeth Penfold

For more about this walk please visit our Facebook page :https://www.facebook.com/ThreadandWord/?ref=bookmarks

and Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/threadandword-tickets-34162936262?aff=eac2

(although the walk is fully subscribed you can go on the waiting list and will be notified if a place becomes available)