Friday, November 18, 2011

Ekphrastic Ecstatic Redux



ArtsNow Gallery Presents "Deep Spaces" fiber art and poetry by The Floating Mountain Poets

On Thursday, November 17, 2011, The Floating Mountain Poets returned to the ArtsNow Gallery, located at the Edmonds Conference Center to present their poems that were inspired by the fiber art exhibit: "Deep Spaces". This was a night of dreamy, clever intimacy.

The night began with performances by the jazz band from Edmonds Community College in the Chrysanthemum room at 5pm. Guests and artists were free to roam about the bright space and take time to examine the highly detailed fiber pieces. These lush, textured, and vivid pieces were well lit and the corresponding poetry was displayed alongside the pieces that inspired them. As you moved around the space, you were able to leisurely soak in the visually stimulating pieces and then provoke your imagination with the corresponding poetry.

The gorgeous and well executed jazz music provided a splendid background for guests' journeys.

At 6:45 and 7:30, small groups were led to pieces throughout the gallery by several of The Floating Mountain Poets who quietly performed their original works. It was a subdued, yet penetrating, experience to visually ponder these pieces and hear the souls of the poetry as well. Two experiences stood out to me: "Just Harry": fiber art by Martha Wolfe; poem written by David Jones and "Fossil #8" fiber art by Lisa Flowers Ross; poem by Dobbie Reese Norris.

"Just Harry" (pictured above), is a close up of a young man who seems to gaze at something unseen to our right.  The expression on his face is serene and he is covered in a hooded jacket with a scarf locked around his neck. His bottom lip seems to stick out a little bit which makes him appear either sad or contemplative. His eyes are partially unseen beneath his unruly bangs. His caucasian skin is pale, and his clothes are low-key colors, which suggests melancholy. Jones' poem, of the same name, brings depth to the melancholia, particularly with the line "What your eyes have seen my son / defies what can be put on paper". However, Jones' piece later says "you must be the spring, the renewal / of all the good in the world" which feels as if the warmth, beneath the melancholia, will be revealed in the brighter promise of youth.

The other experience that stood out to me, "Fossil #8", was the most mixed media piece in the gallery. Ross makes use of pattern and texture as we see multiple intricate layers of various fossils. The fossils are prints, sewn-on teeth, and shells that have been painted. Multiple dyings and meticulous stitching have been used to form horizontal lines which give it a layered earthy look. The overall effect is of generations of creatures who lived, died, and buried to make way for the next. Norris' poem, of the same name, brings an emotional level to the experience: "Time strata / file for the record ... Life matters less / Than the moment of being alive / I was here." All of these detailed bones suddenly became preserved personalities, suddenly each one took hold of its own backstory. It made me feel small because I wondered: which gorgeous critter would I be, when my life becomes "filed for the record"?

Not all pieces held such deep themes, there was whimsy and fun to spare in the experience as well, with 22 fiber art hangings with their accompanying poems.

The jazz band continued to play beautifully until the event's 8pm close time.

This was the second night where we were able to experience the poetry being read by the artists, but the whole exhibit will remain at the ArtsNow Gallery at the Edmonds Conference Center until December 9. The center is located on the corner of 4th and Bell in downtown Edmonds and is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday - Friday.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Ephrastic Fantastic!

Written by Buddy Todd, Programming Assistant for ArtsNow/uLearn
Like sticking your hand into warm rising bread dough, losing yourself in art is easy when you engage several senses at once. Like sweet and salty, beauty and cleverness, or warmth and soft, the more parts of yourself you surrender to an experience, the further you can travel within your own mind. Here’s your chance for a spectacular art experience, called Ekphrastic Ecstatic!: Deep Spaces and poetry by The Floating Mountain Poets.
Deep Spaces, a touring, juried fiber art exhibit is hanging in the ArtsNow Gallery at the Edmonds Conference Center. The pieces have been contributed by artists locally and from as far as Australia. These fiber creations stand out on their own right: the clever use of fabric texture, color dying, and mixed media pattern creates intricate universes of story and emotion.
The Floating Mountain Poets are a Seattle based, eclectic group of writers and creative wordsmiths. They were shown slides of the pieces prior to their arrival to Edmonds. With these colorful and varied pieces, the poets were able to extract themes, emotions, and stories. Using captivating and hypnotic language, they expanded these essences into poetry that were performed as part of Arts Crush and Edmonds Thursday Arts Walk on October 20. Written copies of the poems are displayed by the pieces that inspired them.
The result, called Ekphrastic Ecstatic!, becomes a unique blending of poetry and visual art. This will suspend you and is available to experience from now until December 9, in the ArtsNow Gallery at the Edmonds Conference Center.