This is a process blog for an art project called "Untied". The project is based on this statement: "That all knots can be untied". i.e. that all problems have a solution.
I'm currently looking for some knots from anyone interested in participating as a springboard/starting point for some new drawings or paintings. They don't have to be pretty. Maybe think about a problem in your life you would like to find a solution to whilst making it...
Email me if you're interested in participating and I will give you the details.
Happy tying!
Caroline Kha
http://www.carolinekha.com
Pea Bales, Graphite on Canson, 30 x 21mm.
This drawing is based on the second knot from R.Farquharson from Adelaide. The original knot was used to tie pea bales. There is a little secret drawn in the straw.
The original knot:
An extract from R. Farquharson about the knot:
“Sustainability, by definition, is a necessity. Yet my desire to live sustainably is so difficult to achieve. Every aspect of our lives involves some sort of unsustainable practice. Even most things you eat aren’t sustainable. The way we get our food requires synthetic fertilisers, pesticides herbicides and fuel to plough, harvest, transport and process our food. It involves extracting water from river systems, displacing habitat and results in a lot of land degradation. One thing I’m trying to do is grow a lot of my own fruit and veggies. To do so requires fertile soil. One way to make the soil more fertile is to use green manure – composts or mulches made from plant matter. All plants require nitrogen and most nitrogen these days is made synthetically. It requires a heap of fossil fuel to make. Some farmers grow legumes which are able to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere in symbiosis with a soil bacteria called rhizobium – a relatively clean, green source of nitrogen. We use pea straw to boost the fertility of our soil. It comes in bales tethered by string. The string is synthetic. And therein lies my first knot. It’s so difficult to truly live sustainably. You try to grow your own and use a natural source of nutrients but you know that even then there are still aspects that aren’t truly sustainable.”
Friends came back from Pretty in Pink with hairspray and pink minty lip gloss. I met up with them after class at Bar Reggios. Whilst waiting for our dinner to come, W. Yeung wrote on a napkin with the lip gloss and tied it into a knot.
Below is an effort by G. Kim.
And yes, the napkin knot still smells of mint.
Visible, Graphite on Canson, 30 x 21mm.
This drawing is based on the fluro-elastic band from R. Farquharson from Adelaide. It was worn whilst he cycled on the Tour Down Under.
The original knot:
This knot was one of three to come up from Adelaide. I’ve included a small extract about this knot. Some food for thought.
“My second knot is made of a fluorescent yellow elastic. The elastic was used by me and a bunch of mates who rode the Tour Down Under ride last year. There were a few thousand cyclists involved, all wearing the same jersey. The elastic was one way we could identify each other amongst the throng.
….
This knot is about respect for bike riders. We have to be so careful and put up with a lot of crap from motorists. The onus is on us to be visible, yet the onus should be on motorists to be respectful and aware and courteous to cyclists. The mark of civilisation is that they look out for the most vulnerable. Yet the state of play on our roads is quite the opposite. And the knot goes further. It is about environment, health and community too. ”
“ When the body sinks into death, the essence of man is revealed. Man is a knot, a web, a mesh into which relationships are tied. Only those relationships matter.
— Antoine de Saint-Exupery
This knot is from 3px.
It’s very intricate and skeletal. Might see if I can do a few more drawings of it.
Graphite and watercolour.
This blog will include process photos, drawings, explorations, experimentations and playful mistakes. Feel free to give feedback.
So the first call for knots went out on the 24th July and I’ve been waiting patiently, checking the mailbox diligently.
Last night at Wagaya over deep fried Japanese-stylee tapas… I received the first knot.
Interesting story behind this one as the knot came to the person in the dream. So was the knot a problem or a solution? It is two ties knotted together into a continuous loop.
Doesn’t look like much at first glance, but it is an elegant knot with a lot of potential for drawings.
Been busy today, but just an initial quick study of the first knot. More drawings and experiments to come.
