The Symbolism of Personal Memory. The Artwork of Andrea Vail

Illustration: Andrea Vail. Gained (LOST) Opportunity, 2010.

The work of artist Andrea Vail is dedicated to, and uses a number of formats, disciplines and traditional crafts. Common themes run through her varied work which are as significant and fundamental as the history of our species. Memory, the layers of time and the significance of objects imbued with personality and a fundamental symbolism are an integral part of her work and guide us through a variety of everyday and abstract ideas, which in turn give us perhaps a sense of our belonging within the timeframe of the environment and that of our species.  

Although Vail's work covers a number of themes and ideas, it is perhaps as well to pick out one of those themes, to follow a strand of thought in some ways. A good example would be that of the simple key. A key in its own right is merely a tool made of metal in order to lock and unlock a mechanism. However, this simple but iconic tool has gradually become imbued with our shared psyche. It is part of our history as a species, but perhaps more importantly it is also part of our significantly individual history as well. A key is a form of memory, shared experience and in time that of layered reminders of that experience.

Illustration: Andrea Vail. Gained (LOST) Opportunity, 2010.

In some respects, it matters little as to the individual experiences that are attached to a key. All first-hand memories eventually fade, become confused or just become subsumed in the mass of human experience. However, the very real experience of creating a collection of random or lost keys is also an exercise in the symbolic. We all understand that a key can often be of a symbol of a deeply personal nature. We all have, and carry through our lives a number of different keys for a number of different reasons. Giving a key to someone can be a validation of trust in someone, a rite of passage as in that given to an adolescent, or the potential cementing of a relationship. On the other hand a key can also be a reluctant relinquishment of power or even a complete surrender of independence, as in old age. 

We are all aware of the significance and heightened symbolism attached to these small pieces of metal. By Vail highlighting these symbols she makes us fully aware that on the one hand they are inanimate objects devoid of emotion, whilst on the other they are personal artefacts as well as significant symbols of our shared human culture. The idea of placing a selection of keys together on a wall, whilst also separating them by the use of small individual sheets as well as the significance of drawn and sewn lines, the sewn lines being used to enclose the individual keys in acetate, thus cutting each individual statement from another, gives the impression that whilst we all share both the symbolism and the experience, we are also, as individuals, alone. 

Illustration: Andrea Vail. Gained (LOST) Opportunity, 2010.

On another level Vail also sees the key as a form of opportunity, whether potential or lost. In fact, the name of this particular piece of artwork highlighted in this article: Gained (LOST) Opportunity gives us a good indication of where this theme can go. It is fascinating to consider the heightened symbolism, belief and potential that can be imbued into a simple mechanical format. However, it is perhaps not the key itself that takes on this burden of the potential for opportunity, whether real or not, as well as that of memory, experience and emotion, but that of the individual. We are a transient and short-lived species with little to seriously project beyond our lifespans, of the experiences we have had and the dreams we left unfulfilled. So in some respects, this particular piece of work by Vail could be seen as poignant, a look at the endless layers and the endless journey of successive lives and memories, pinpointed in an everyday object.

Although in many cases symbolism, and specifically that of a personal kind, is the only real tangible idea that we can leave behind us, that personal symbolism also fades in time.  However, perhaps that is not as important in the long run as we would believe it to be. In some respects, Vail's work shows us through the use of random and therefore unnamed and unidentified keys, the strength and enduring path of recollection and it is a tribute to the memory of remembrance to that of the individual but also to that of the many. We are a product of layers of humanity, a symbol, in our own right, of the hopes and opportunities, whether realised or lost, of the many individuals that came before us, just as we are to be the same for future generations. We are all keys of opportunity, of memory and of experience, we open the door for future versions of our species and therefore Vail's Gained (LOST) Opportunity is both literal and metaphoric, a description of the human condition and the cycle of life, opportunity and death that we all experience as both individuals and as a species.

Andrea Vail is a well-known and admired visual artist with a wealth of experience within the fine art world. She has exhibited widely and has her own fully comprehensive website which can be found here. The website contains many more examples of her intriguing and thought-provoking work.

All images were used with the permission of the artist and are therefore copyrighted.

Artists, Designers and Unknown Makers

Illustration: Gustaf Fjaestad (artist), Miss Fjaestad (weaver). Below the Falls tapestry design, c1913.

Very often in the recent history of textile design and craft, the name of the artist or designer is both known and lauded, and indeed that is the way that it should be. However, often the maker of the piece has not always been the artist. One of the textile disciplines in which this is acutely apparent is in tapestry design.

Although the composition of a tapestry piece was usually completed by an artist, that same artist would not always complete the weaving of that tapestry, often they would not be involved in the process at all, though this was not always the case. Where today we would probably surmise that a tapestry artist that conceived the artwork would also be the same person that wove that composition, there was also a tradition of the tapestry studio which would house a dedicated team of weavers who would produce whatever work came into the studio. Sometimes an artist would have a relatively intimate relationship with the studio and sometimes there would be little contact, particularly if the tapestry was to be a woven version of an already existing fine art piece.

Illustration: Alfred Wallander (artist), Svensk Konstslojd (weaver). St George and the Dragon tapestry design, c1913.

This inevitably leads to the question, whose work can be truly identified with the finished tapestry and whose name should more fittingly be associated with that piece. The artist produced both the concept and the ultimate outward projection of the art project. However, the weaver was much more intimately involved in both the day to day construction, and also the details which would no doubt have become personalised with a particular weaver.

Illustration: Alfred Wallander (artist), Svensk Konstslojd (weaver). The Blessed Virgin tapestry design, c1913.

It is a hard and probably unrewarding task defining the appropriation of the title of true maker for a tapestry where two creative individuals are involved in one piece. Some may say that the true creative can only be the artist and that the weaver is merely following explicit instructions from the artist, but this is rarely the case. Tapestry weaving is creative in its own right and although choice of colours, yarns and even perhaps the approach taken by the weaver might well be dictated by the artist, the small, intimate processes that are all part of the tapestry weaving process produce judgements that have to be made by the weaver as they progress through the piece. Admittedly there are different types of weaving techniques as there are different types of approach when dealing with the practical construction of a tapestry. However, this does not negate the important personal contribution of the weaver.

All five of the tapestries shown in this article, two by Alfred Wallander and one each by Gustaf Fjaestad, Nils Lundstrom and Helmer Osslund were all woven by either a named individual other than the artist, or by a studio. This is not to say that because all four artists did not necessarily involve themselves fully in the weaving of their tapestries that they were somehow negligent or only partial artists, it is more to do with the interesting association that the actual weaver has with the art piece. 

Illustration: Helmer Osslund (artist), The Licium (weaver). Torne Trask tapestry design, c1913.

To be fair, through much of history many of the artists and weavers of tapestry works across the planet have been anonymous. However, with the emergence of tapestry as a fine art medium in the later nineteenth century, artists' names began to be associated with specific tapestries. These names ranged from Edward Burne-Jones to Otto Eckmann and they are recognised and appreciated as important individuals within tapestry design, although at the same time, there is often little mention of any of the individuals that actually physically produced the work. Admittedly, the involvement of these various individuals and teams of weavers would have been more of less intimate with the finished tapestry depending on their experience and natural ability. It is also perhaps asking too much to expect weavers to have their names twinned equally with that of the artist, but recognition in some form is perhaps called for, or if not, then perhaps a recognition that an artist or designer is only one link in a long process of produced conception of a tapestry and the actual finished piece.

This of course is not a problem associated only with tapestry. Many of the textile disciplines including rug weaving, embroidery, lace and others find the same peculiar position whereby an individual artist or designer is recognised for their achievement towards a specific discipline, but the actual producers of the work are largely unrecognised. Add to this factor that most of the lauded designers during the period covering the latter half of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth were men and most of the practical and anonymous workers were women, a definite series of problems concerning the recognition of the creative worker as well as the creative designer or artist can easily be found.

Illustration: Nils Erik Lundstrom (artist), Thyra Grafstrom (weaver). The Witch's Lake tapestry design, c1913.

Whether the question of the unacknowledgement of practical makers had more to do with rigid social or creative frameworks or that there was more involved in this process than we can see today, I am not sure. However, I have always been aware that producing articles on named artists and designers can only ever be part of the story, the wealth of practical knowledge and understanding of materials and mediums accrued by generations of practical makers, most of whom were nameless women, is perhaps the largest and most inspiring part of the creative process.

Further reading links:

Mixed Media Artist Judith Plotner

Illustration: Judith Plotner. Adirondack Journal I.

Many creative journeys are supremely private; others less so, many are degrees in between. The work of textile and mixed media artist Judith Plotner, although largely falling into the former category, can still be considered purely as an example of the rich world that can be composed from the elements that go to make up a mixed media base.

Illustration: Judith Plotner. Slate Valley.

Plotner uses the broad spectrum of the creative arts, bringing into her compositions the sensibilities of a fine art painting background, as well as that of printmaking, collage and textiles. The great strength of mixed media is the fact that layering and juxtapositioning can be achieved not only with the raw materials available within the different mediums, but also with that of mediums themselves. It is always fascinating to observe how sometimes a medium can complement another, while at other times the opposite can be both the aim and result. This can cause tension within a composition, which can be intentional on one level, but have reactions and unforeseen results, sometimes on more than one level.

Illustration: Judith Plotner. Adirondack Journal III.

The compositions chosen for this article seem reminiscent of small contained packages as if they were enclosed personal observations of the artist themselves. In some respect, that is exactly what they are. These observational diary pages if you will contain information, thoughts and muses, often scattered and seemingly random, though often connected by both the individual and the experience.

There is a sense of confinement that is physically attached to the compositions. The surrounding and inert space of these observational essays can seem to isolate the experience, but in fact, it is much more a case of the outside space allowing the artist to pinpoint an experience. This helps to discover and identify the completed observation and in some ways allow the outsider to study at least some elements of the parameters that contain the thoughts and processes of the artist.

Illustration: Judith Plotner. Autumnal.

Although the outside observer is not privy to the internal creative workings of the artist, whether that be personalised or externalised observations and encounters, they can in some respects be privy to the journey itself. By understanding the practical application of mediums and materials, whether that be through layering, stitching, stamping, dyeing, painting or printing, this functional part of the creative journey can be both observed and admired.

It is said that all creativity is subjective, and in many respects that is true. However, often the practical working journey of materials and processes used by the artist can be objectively followed, sometimes producing profound or at least interesting analogies and discoveries.

These five compositions of Plotner's are finely tuned and specifically composed. They are an interesting example of both the personalised experience of an artist, but also of the sometimes complex procedures that can entail the practical application of a mixed media artist. The compositions are wide ranging in their use of mediums and materials and show the genuine creative scope that can be found within the mixed media world.

Illustration: Judith Plotner. Global Warming.

Judith Plotner has exhibited extensively across the US. She has her own comprehensive website where many more examples of her work can be found. A link to the site can be found below.

All images were provided with the kind permission of the artist.

Reference links:
Judith Plotner website

Gunnar Wennerberg Tapestry Design

Illustration: Gunnar Wennerberg. The Willows tapestry design, c1913.

The Swedish designer Gunnar Wennerberg is probably better known inside and outside his native Sweden, for the innovative glass and ceramic decorative work that he produced during the last few years of the nineteenth century and the start of the twentieth century. However, Wennerberg also produced a certain amount of textile work, particularly but not exclusively for the Handarbetets Vanner and the Licium.

Wennerberg produced a number of tapestries during the first decade of the twentieth century and those shown in this article give some indication at least as to the style and compositional qualities that were very much associated with him at the time.

Wennerberg is often seen and categorised as an Art Nouveau designer, particularly as regards his use of foliage and flora for decorative means. However, his style bore little resemblance to the excesses of French and Belgian Art Nouveau and some would see it as somewhat typical of the Swedish love for nature-based themes. This is born out distinctively with The Willow tapestry, which although having certain aspects in common with Art Nouveau, tends towards a much sparser and tranquil examination of nature than would be expected within the general Art Nouveau movement. This was one of Wennerberg's particular traits and it can be seen within the other compositions also shown here.

Illustration: Gunnar Wennerberg. Tapestry design, c1905.

It is interesting to note that it could be said that Wennerberg's extensive work within the glass and ceramics industries, was somewhat reflected within his later textile work. The imagery and compositional balance are interestingly similar in style with what would be expected both within stained glass work and also that of ceramics. The use of light, particularly within The Willows, is almost similar to a ceramic glaze, and perhaps this was not purely coincidental but could be seen as that of a conscious or unconscious bleeding through of ideas and strategies from another medium altogether.

The greatest boon to cross discipline designers and artists is when the tools and vocabulary of one discipline are used either for the same purpose or for that of a completely different aspect within another discipline. It is this cross-fertilization that has given us many purposeful creative constructs and indeed a number of happy accidents as well.

Wennerberg, although not strictly a textile designer or artist, should be included within the framework of Sweden's prestigious textile crafts, particularly that of tapestry design of which Wennerberg produced some excellent examples that were neither derivative of the rest of contemporary Europe, or indeed that of Swedish traditional crafts. His work is an excellent example of the individuality that can be achieved by both artist and designer when considering the importance of the uniqueness of an individual's creative journey, rather than that of fashion, fad and styling.

Illustration: Gunnar Wennerberg. Tapestry design, c1909.

Incidentally Gunnar Wennerberg should not be confused with the other Gunnar Wennerberg, who was the Swedish poet and composer who died in 1901, Wennerberg the designer died in 1914.

Further reading links:
Scandinavian Design (Taschen 25)
RORSTRAND: SWEDISH ART NOUVEAU PORCELAIN, FROM THE ROBERT SCHREIBER COLLECTION
Rorstrand Porcelain: Art Nouveau Masterpieces
Vavda tapeter (Swedish Edition)
SWEDISH TEXTILE ART: Traditional Marriage Weavings from Scania (The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Swedish Textile Art)
The Big Book of Weaving: Handweaving in the Swedish Tradition: Techniques, Patterns, Designs and Materials
The Treasure Chest of Swedish Weaving
33 Contemporary Swedish Weaving Patterns for Monk's Cloth
Favorite Scandinavian Projects to Weave: 45 Stylish Designs for the Modern Home
Swedish Weaving,
Swedish Weaving/Huck Embroidery Designs Book 2
The How to Book of Swedish Weaving and Huck Embroidery (Avery Hill's)
Swedish Hand Weaving - Weaving Patterns
Manual Of Swedish Hand Weaving
Weave Structures The Swedish Way - Volume 1