I continue to think about the effects of time and errosion and the part they have played in shaping the coast where I live. How the pebbles that I pick up along the shore were once part of the land and how much the coastline has changed over thousands of years and how it could change in years to come. Old Harry Rocks was once joined to The Needles on the Isle of Wight....Harry has already lost his 'wife' a chalk stack that fell into the sea circa 1896 and at some point Old Harry will probably join her though I shouldn't think that will be in my lifetime especially as UNESCO has teams working to try and protect him. I wonder just how they can stop the tide... or even if they should? What treasures lie waiting for the tide to reveal?
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| Time & Tide collages 8x14cm ©2018LisaLeQuelenec |
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| Time & Tide collage 8x14cm ©2018LisaLeQuelenec |
I started to play with ideas on small pieces of card only 8x14cm using collage and drawing. I ended up with quite a collection and wanted a way to order and present them. Whittling it down to just five I have mounted them into a concertina book that I have made. A book as a finished piece is not a format that I have worked in before but it feels 'right' for this mini project. In my mind I am not thinking of it as a book as such but maybe more of a small chapter in a much longer narrative that I will never see completed.
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| Time & Tide a mix media and collage concertina book ©2018LisaLeQuelenec |
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| Time & Tide a mix media and collage concertina book ©2018LisaLeQuelenec |
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| Time & Tide a mix media and collage concertina book ©2018LisaLeQuelenec |
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| Time & Tide a mix media and collage concertina book ©2018LisaLeQuelenec |
On the final page is a small explanation about the inspiration behind the work which you can read below.
Like many coastal areas Dorset has a wealth of tales of myth and legend, some of which centre around Old Harry Rocks. These are chalk stacks formed by coastal erosion that lie at the gateway to the Jurassic Coast – a World Heritage site. The erosion that formed the chalk stacks also threatens their destruction and teams from UNESCO are working to save them.
One legend states that the rocks are named after a man called Harry Paye (d. 1419) a privateer and smuggler from Poole who intercepted hundreds of French and Spanish ships bringing his spoils back to the busy port of Poole.
Another naturally occurring phenomenon are hag stones which are pebbles with holes also made by erosion. Folklore states that they provide protection from witchcraft, disease and by looking through the hole you can see the fairy folk. Dorset fishermen used to tie them onto their boats for luck. I wonder if Harry Paye and his crew kept a hag stone or two on their ship…
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| Time & Tide a mix media and collage concertina book ©2018LisaLeQuelenec |
8 comments:
Oh Lisa, what a beautiful book! The rope and the hagstone and shells are a perfect finish! I hope they will manage to save Harry!
This is sooo lovely! Thanks for the informative bit, too. When one thinks about time moving ceaselessly, and how the tides erode and change coastlines, one can become like an explorer searching for those treasures that are beauty themselves. Who needs gold and silver when one has a hag stone or a ocean-smoothed pebble in one’s pocket :). Thanks so much for sharing this. It truly is beautiful!
Lovely, lovely post, Lisa! Beautiful artwork, handmade book, pebbles, shells, photographs & MORE!
An absolute pleasure to visit, as always!
Lisa - what a lovely piece of art. I just love it. Such a super idea to place it in book form. The color you chose for the cover and the beads and shells is just awesome. I can feel the ties to the sea and shore. So amazing. Have a super weekend. Hugs!
Good morning Lisa!... What a magically creative idea you have developed from Nature's seashore gifts!... A "squeezebox" which quite literally records Time as it evolves along your coast.
Each page is a true sea shanty and your format a creative concertina which blends subtle sea colors and weathered forms.
Well done!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
PS Your wonderful print now hangs in a place of honor. I will send along an email and jpeg to show you. MANY thanks!!!
Hi Judy, thank you. It took me a while to find hagstone small enough and then I found a few! :o)
Oh Rhonda you always have the right words for what I am trying to say! Thank you so much for nailing it!
Thanks Chris - I took so many photos I couldn't decide which ones to use so I thought I'd use them all ;o)
Hi Debbie, thank you so much. I wish a weekend of sunshine and happiness for you.
Hi Bruce - 'a squeezebox' perfect! I hadn't made that connection but I love it! I shall by humming sea shanty style tunes for a while now. :o)
So glad you like the print - best wishes.
Wonderful!
Why thank you Loriann - something a bit different :o)
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