String Along is open 11am-5pm Friday - Sunday until Sunday 9 September
An elderly woman who I called Mrs Left fascinated me as a child. She was
my next-door neighbour and lived with Mr Left. He couldn’t see very well and
she used to help him drive, telling him when to stop and where to turn. Mrs
Left had wardrobes of extravagant dress ups and a spiral staircase in the
middle of her house. She showed me flowers in her garden and told me the fuchsia’s were like beautiful ballerinas. Mrs Left spent time with me, liked
showing me things and took the time to sit and teach me to crochet. I was very
young and this would have been a challenging task to take on. I never remember
Mrs Left getting impatient or having a cross word. Mr and Mrs Left moved away,
to a retirement or nursing home I assume. I was young when this happened and never
had the opportunity to say how special it was to have an elderly neighbour
provide the nurturing gift of time and patience. I felt safe and inspired.
It All Adds Up is a rug I am crocheting out of salvaged fragments of string, rope,
twine, shoe laces and other bits of thread like material. I am doing this as a
reaction against buying new and sourcing from what would usually be discarded
instead. Believing the desire for more and new impoverishes the human spirit
rather than enhancing it. Mending and using what is available lends itself to
being resourceful, having far deeper satisfaction than the often-short lived
joy that comes from spending and discarding the old. The whole concept of
striving for new, more and better I believe is the cause of Affluenza. A social
condition where individuals strive to be wealthy and success is determined by
how much money you have. Seeking connection and esteem through purchases
deprives us of the real pleasure that comes from connecting with another
through spending time and resources.
It All Adds Up is a work in progress that is being exhibited at Articulate project space until the 9th of September 2018. I will be at Articulate project space
Friday the 31st of August
11am - 2pm and Sunday the 9th of
September 2 - 5pm if you want to come and contribute string or similar donation
to this community collaborative work.
You can also leave donations for this
work on allocated pins next to the artwork during Articulate's opening hours
11am- 5pm Friday to Sunday or contact me on enquiries@jodygraham.com.au to participate in this project.