loom - trexprogramsoutheast.ca … · small-scale tapestries using a primitive dutch plank loom....

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LOOM

THE ALBERTA FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS TRAVELLING EXHIBITION PROGRAM (TREX)

Curated by Shannon Bingeman © 2016 Alberta Society of Artists

LOOM

CONTENTSABOUT.............................................................................................................................................................

CURATORIAL STATEMENT..................................................................................................................

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY..............................................................................................................................

VISUAL INVENTORY.............................................................................................................................

EDUCATION GUIDE.............................................................................................................................

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS...............................................................................................................

BEGINNER: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT............................................................................................

INTERMEDIATE: COLOUR-BLOCK PORTRAITS...................................................................

ADVANCED: CARDBOARD LOOM TAPESTRIES.................................................................

VOCABULARY.........................................................................................................................................

BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................................................

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................................................................................................

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THE TRAVELLING EXHIBITION PROGRAM (TREX)

Since 1980, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) has supported a provincial travelling exhibition program. The TREX program strives to ensure every Albertan is provided with an opportunity to enjoy fully developed exhibitions in schools, libraries, healthcare centres, and smaller rural institutions and galleries throughout the province.

The TREX program assists in making both the AFA’s extensive art collection and the work of contemporary Alberta artists available to Albertans. Four regional organizations now coordinate the program for the AFA:

REGION 1 Northwest — Art Gallery of Grande Prairie

REGION 2 Northeast and North Central — Art Gallery of Alberta

REGION 3 Southwest — Alberta Society of Artists

REGION 4 Southeast — Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre

THE ALBERTA SOCIETY OF ARTISTS (ASA)

The Alberta Society of Artists is an active membership of professional visual artists who strive for excellence and through exhibition, education and communication will increase public awareness of the visual arts.

The ASA is contracted by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts to develop and circulate art exhibitions to communities throughout southwest Alberta. Each exhibition is designed to unpack easily and install within smaller spaces found in schools, libraries, museums and other public venues.

THE ALBERTA FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS (AFA)

A crown agency of the Government of Alberta, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts was established in 1991 with a mandate to support and contribute to the development of the arts in Alberta.

ABOUT

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Basic in construction, yet intricate in output—looms are the apparatus that bring Liv Pedersen’s narratives to life. Since the 1970s, the artist has been creating small-scale tapestries using a primitive Dutch plank loom. This loom consists of little more than a wooden plank, nails and cotton string, but with it, Pedersen has weaved whimsical scenes based on her experience and vivid imagination. Scenes of family outings, home life, leisure activities, work, travel, her Danish heritage and even the occasional troll are reoccurring motifs that offer us a glimpse of the artist’s life.

Pedersen was born in Denmark, and her exploration of the fibre arts began at an early age. She recalls entertaining herself as a young child by playing with leftover yarn while her mother knit garments for the family. In grade one she was taught to knit potholders. Two years later, she was knitting troll dolls in her spare time using patterns found in women’s magazines. It was not until she was twenty-four that she became serious about weaving. By that time, she had studied literature and social work and had immigrated to Canada with her husband. She enrolled at the Alberta College of Design (ACAD) as a mature student “to learn as much as possible about image making, colour, design and sensitivity to medium.”1 Originally she intended to study painting, but it was in the weaving department where she found her passion, realizing the medium’s potential for image making and storytelling.

Pedersen’s turn toward weaving in the 1970s coincided with the emergence of a global fibre art movement. For decades prior, weaving had been associated with the decorative arts and was related primarily to domestic use. It was not until the Craft Renaissance of the 1960s and 1970s that this perception began to shift. People started to recognize fibre art as a legitimate art form and a medium capable of self-expression. Western colleges and universities (like ACAD) began to offer fibre art courses; galleries started to represent fibre artists; and international fibre art biennales emerged, all propelling the medium forward.2

CURATORIAL STATEMENT

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Pedersen’s decision to work small scale was born out of necessity. After leaving ACAD, Pedersen and her husband had two children. As she described it:

[L]ife circumstances were conducive to working small scale with yarn in a fragmented way. [. . .] The weaving process is relaxing and meditative. It suited my otherwise busy lifestyle. It is time-consuming and labour- intensive, but not expensive to pursue.3

Early tapestries from this period are autobiographical and focus on her young family. In Self Portrait – Backyard (1988), for example, Pedersen offers the audience a glimpse of home life. A black cat plays with a toy in the backyard; laundry is laid over the railing to dry; and the artist and her husband share a cup of coffee while their children go about their activities upstairs.

After Pedersen’s children had moved away from home, the artist began to work on what she described as “family events worth remembering.”4 These tapestries, still informed by autobiographical events, began to take on an imaginative aspect. One example of this is Grandpa’s Birthday (1992). The four panels illustrate the celebration of her father’s 80th birthday in Denmark. Friends and family members are gathered around the table to share a traditional meal of soup, a roast, dessert and kransekage (a traditional Dutch and Norwegian cake made from baked marzipan). The artist and her family—who were absent for the actual event—are included at the table in the bottom left panel. The resulting image reads as an homage to her Danish heritage and her father’s life. A reconstructed memory of what could have been rather than what was.

Another imaginative element that reoccurs in Pedersen’s work is the inclusion of trolls. In some scenes, these creatures are quite evident, such as the white troll that lingers over her shoulder in Self Portrait 2005. In other scenes, the dolls are covert, blending into the landscape in Trouble Awaiting (2009) or looming in the shadows in The Taming of the Trolls (1994). The significance of the trolls is owed to her Danish heritage. In Nordic folklore, they are common subjects, described as sinister, slow-witted creatures that hide in the forest, under bridges or in the mountains.

After retiring from the Calgary Catholic School District in 2007, and after twenty-six years of full-time work as a support staff, Pedersen had more time to dedicate to her medium. This freedom led to experimentation, and she began to break away from the square and rectangular format of her previous compositions by creating shaped tapestries. The earliest examples of these were created in 2010 while living in her native Copenhagen for three months. The artist had brought a small plank loom with her, and from it she wove the faces of real

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people and imagined creatures. Similar to previous tapestries, a preliminary sketch informed her process, but unlike her previous work, she opted to weave upside down—a strategy that she hoped would allow her to lose some control and allow for creativity. Veronica (2012), Walter (2012) and Gus (2012) were all created in this manner.

If there is a common thread that runs through the majority of Pedersen’s work, it is the inclusion of the human figure. Besides a brief period of exploring abstraction, Pedersen’s tapestries are rarely void of the human form. Even the cars in Trouble Awaiting (2009), Over the Hill and Far Away (2003) and The Home Coming (2002) take on a human-like quality with their expressive eyes and mouths. When asked about the importance of the human subject in her work, Pedersen explained: “People and their flaws are interesting and entertaining.”5 The feelings of joy, trepidation, nostalgia, nervousness and grief that her characters’ display may be based on her personal experience, but they are universal emotions as well. This universality, perhaps more than anything, is what makes her tapestries so appealing. We find a reflection of ourselves in her story.

1 Liv Pedersen. Interviewed by the author. Personal interview, November 22, 2015. .2 Nickle Arts Museum. Fibrations: A New Generation of Fibre Art in America (Calgary: Nickle Arts Museum, 1980), 4. 3 Pedersen, Personal interview.4 Ibid.5 Ibid.

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Liv Pedersen was born in post-war Denmark. Her ancestors were peasants with traditions of making their own household items, like clothing and furniture. Her parents continued this lifestyle and had many hobbies. Her father became an accomplished amateur landscape painter and musician. Creativity flourished, but patterns were also followed rigorously. Pedersen went to university in Copenhagen where she met her husband. She studied literature and had obtained a degree in social work in 1972. Thereafter, she immigrated to Canada with her husband. They both became students in Calgary, and Pedersen studied painting and weaving at ACAD from 1974 to 1978.

Upon graduation, the couple lived in Amsterdam for eighteen months. Their son was born in Calgary, their daughter in Amsterdam. Her husband tried to get a permanent position back in Denmark, but academic jobs were scarce. In 1980, the family lived in Hamilton, Ontario for eighteen months. Pedersen had her first solo exhibition at Hamilton Artists Inc. She has fond memories of the time she spent with the other housewives and their children on the street on which they lived near McMaster University. In 1981, they moved back to Calgary where her husband had been offered a good job. Pedersen started to work full time for the Calgary Catholic School District as an assistant in special education. She retired twenty-six years later. In her spare time, Pedersen often finds relaxation while weaving at her small, simple loom next to the kitchen. She finds inspiration from family life and people in social situations.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

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VISUAL INVENTORY

Dad's Golden Years

Liv Pedersen1992Woven tapestry4 panels each 36 x 54 cmCourtesy of the artist

The Taming of the Trolls


Grandpa's Birthday


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Self Portrait—Backyard

Liv Pedersen1988Woven tapestry36 x 54 cmCourtesy of the artist

Self Portrait—Condo


Crosscountry Skiing


The Rockies in the Winter


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Trouble Awaiting


Over the Hill and Far Away


The Home Coming


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Self Portrait 2005


Buller Going Down the Slide


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Weeping Angel

Liv Pedersen2015Demonstration on loom25.5 x 18 cmCourtesy of the artist

Veronica, Walter, Gus


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My Three Jobs


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This education guide is comprised of activities to move the audience through the various themes presented in Loom. The content of the exhibition and the following lesson plans have been carefully developed and designed to enhance the curriculum set by Alberta Education. The guide includes questions for discussion, vocabulary and activities designed for the level of ability, understanding and complexity of the participants:

Beginner — viewers who are just beginning their exploration of art.Intermediate — viewers who have some experience looking at and creating art.Advanced — viewers who have much experience looking at and creating art.

For curriculum links and additional resources, please visit our website:http://albertasocietyofartists.com/trex

EDUCATION GUIDE

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Below are suggested questions that are intended to prompt meaningful discussion about the content presented in Loom. The questions can be selected and vocabulary altered to suit the appropriate age level.

Can you find elements within Pedersen’s work that pay homage to her Danish heritage?

Pedersen describes some of the scenes in her tapestries as “family events worth remembering.” If you were to weave a scene based on memory, what would it be? Who would be included? What colours would you use?

Compare Pedersen’s work from the 1980s to those created in the 1990s. How does her style change over time? Consider the following: scale, subject matter and composition.

Compare the face of the boy in Buller Going Down the Slide to the artist’s face in Self Portrait 2005. What are the differences in the way they are constructed?

Look at the expressions of the cars in Over the Hill and Far Away, The Home Coming, and Trouble Awaiting. What emotions are the figures portraying? How do the titles of the tapestries assist in our understanding of what they are about?

In My Three Jobs, Pedersen illustrates three roles that she identifies—a mother, an artist and an educator. If you could pick three activities that define your character, what would they be? Why?

Can you identify the different leisure activities that Pedersen portrays in her work?

Imagine that Veronica, Walter and Gus are characters in a story. How would you describe their personalities? If they had a job, what would it be? If they were to speak, what would their voices sound like?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

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At the age of twenty-four, Liv Pedersen turned to tapestry as her primary medium after spending many hours in the weaving department at the Alberta College of Art and Design. She developed a passion for fibre art and realized its potential for image-making and storytelling. Since then, the majority of her tapestries have focused on human figures engaged in either domestic, work-related or leisure activities. Each tapestry tells a story—both real and imagined.

In this activity, participants will study one of Pedersen’s tapestries and create a narrative inspired by it. They will analyze what is happening in the picture and imagine what might happen next.

MATERIALSReproductions of the tapestries in Loom*, writing journals, pencils, scissors. glue sticks, pencil crayons.

*digital catalogue (including reproductions) available on the TREX Southwest website

INSTRUCTIONS1 Explain to the participants that Liv Pedersen’s tapestries are like pictures in a storybook. Have them select one image that they find interesting and/or appealing. 2 Have them cut out the image and glue it in their journal. Ask the participants to write 2 or 3 sentences about what is happening at this point in the story.3 On the next page of the journal, have the participants sketch what would happen next in the story using pencil crayons. 4 Once their drawings are complete, have the participants write another 2 or 3 sentences describing the new scene.5 Have the participants share their stories with their peers.

VARIATIONSFor younger participants - have the group sit down in front of one of Pedersen’s tapestries. Explain that the images tell a story. Select a specific tapestry and ask: what is happening in this story? If there are people in the scene, what might they be saying? What might they be thinking or feeling? If the picture could make a sound, what would it sound like? Once the participants have shared their thoughts on what they believe is happening in the scene, ask them what they think might happen next?

BEGINNER: What happens next

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VARIATIONS CONTINUEDStory circle - have participants sit in a circle. Pick one of Pedersen’s tapestries to focus on. One participant will begin by stating an observation that describes an action or a part of the setting that connects to the scene, i.e., “It was a cold winter day…” The next person in the circle will pick up where the first person left off and add another sentence to the story. Go around the circle until everyone has participated.

For older participants - create a sequence of up to 4 or 5 different scenes (comic book style) using materials of their choice. One of Pedersen’s tapestries will serve as the inspiration, but it does not necessarily have to be the first scene in the sequence.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONSDo any of Pedersen’s tapestries remind you of things that you have done? Places that you have visited? Movies that you have watched? Or different stories that you have read? If so, did it help you to imagine what would happen next?

Can you understand a story that only has pictures? Do stories need words? Why or why not?

Many of Pedersen’s tapestries illustrate family events that she felt were worth remembering. Do you have any family events or experiences that you like to remember?

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While living for three months in Copenhagen in 2010, Liv Pedersen broke away from her typical rectangular format and began to create shaped tapestries of faces. In an interview with the artist, she described this experience:

I had only brought a small plank loom along. The apartment was in a crowded area in the inner city. I decided to weave small faces, real people and imagined creatures. All my tapestries are woven with a sketchy drawing taped to the wooden board on which it is woven. It was not beautiful faces I was interested in, but interesting features [. . .] also, I felt I needed to play a trick on myself and lose some control, so I turned the cartoon under the weaving upside down. At the same time, I had enough experience to know what I was doing, like how to create contrasts and which tints of yarn to use to make the nose stand out from the cheeks.1

In this activity, participants will create portraits using coloured felt. The felt will be cut and arranged in interesting ways to emphasize a contrast between each of the features. Similar to Pedersen’s process, the portraits will be created upside down.

MATERIALSScrap paper, pencils, coloured felt (assortment of colours and sizes), scissors, black markers, fabric glue.

PREPARATIONPrior to the activity, spend some time looking at the shaped faces in Loom. Notice how Pedersen differentiates between the features using a variety of coloured shapes—this is what we refer to as colour blocking. Point out the colours that she uses. Are they typical of “skin” colours? Why or why not?

INSTRUCTIONS1 Using a pencil and scrap paper or sketchbooks, start by creating a loose sketch of what the final portrait will look like. The sketch should not be too detailed, and it is okay if their finished portraits end up looking different from the sketch. 2 Begin by cutting a large shape to serve as the base of the portrait (this will be the background that all the other shapes are attached). Place the background shape upside down on a flat working surface.

INTERMEDIATE : COLOUR-BLOCK PORTRAITS

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INSTRUCTIONS CONTINUED3 Add additional shapes to the portrait working from the background to the foreground. Layer different colours over the top of one another (i.e., the colour of the cheek might stretch from ear-to-ear and the nose can be added on top). Encourage the participants to play around with the placement of the shapes. If it helps to draw the shape before cutting the felt, use a black marker.4 Use fabric glue to secure the shapes in place.5 After the last shape is glued on, turn the portrait around to reveal the end result. 6 Glue the shaped face to a large rectangular piece of black or coloured felt for presentation (optional).

VARIATIONSFelt storyboard - for younger participants, cut out different shapes and facial features for the portraits. Have them experiment with adding and removing different facial features. The felt will stick to itself without any need for glue. Encourage the participants to create the portraits upside down.

Colour-block, self-portrait paintings - for older participants, print out close up portraits on 8.5 x 11” photo paper. Using acrylics, participants will paint directly on top of the photograph blocking off areas using solid colours in a variety of shapes. Have the participants to use lighter colours for the highlights and darker colours for the shadows. Encourage them to have the shapes follow the subtle contours of the features. Encourage the participants to use colours that are not traditionally associated with skin tones.

FOLLOW-up questionsIn what way did building the portrait upside down affect the process and result? Why do you think Liv Pedersen works in this manner?

Did your portrait end up different from how you initially sketched it? If so, were the changes intentional? Are you pleased with how it turned out?

1 Liv Pedersen. Interviewed by the author. Personal interview, November 22, 2015.

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The act of weaving is one of the oldest cultural practices in existence. Woven items range from practical objects like baskets and clothing to intricate tapestries or wall hangings and even three-dimensional sculptures. The apparatuses used to create these items—looms—are equally varied and come in all shapes and sizes. Some looms are automated by machinery and others are operated by hand. A single loom can fill a whole room while others are humble in scale and can be easily transported. The Dutch plank loom that Liv Pedersen uses is quite primitive in its construction. A wooden board, cotton strings, nails and a hammer are the only materials required.

In this activity, the participants will create a cardboard loom and explore basic weaving techniques. The final product will be a unique woven tapestry that can be hung on the wall.

MaterialsCardboard, ruler, pencil, scissors, tape, cotton twine, yarn (in a variety of colours and textures), plastic large eye needles to serve as the heddle.

INSTRUCTIONS1 To create the loom, small notches must be cut along the top and bottom of the cardboard to hold the warp (the vertical cotton twine) in place. Use a ruler and a pencil to plan where the slits will go. Make sure you have an even number of notches at either end (i.e., 8, 10, 12, and so forth.). They should be approximately one centimetre apart and one centimetre deep. The slits at the top should line up with those on the bottom.2 Tape one end of a long piece of cotton twine to the back of the cardboard. Fit the twine through the first notch at the top of the loom then down along the first notch at the bottom. Make sure the twine is taut and continue to wrap it from top to bottom one notch at a time until you reach the end. Tape the end to the back of the cardboard and cut away any extra twine 3 Select your first colour of yarn and thread the needle. Guide the threaded needle (the heddle) through the warp, using an over and under motion. Repeat this process for multiple rows. Be sure to leave a long tail of yarn at the beginning and end.4 Before adding additional colours, make sure what has already been woven is tight. Push the yarn upward to tighten if necessary. Repeat the process in step 3 with a new colour of yarn. Add more or less rows with each additional colour to create a unique pattern. 5 After weaving the final row, use the large eye needles to sew the loose ends of the yarn into the tapestry. Cut away any extra yarn, if necessary.

ADVANCED: CARDBOARD LOOM TAPESTRIES

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INSTRUCTIONS CONTINUED6 To take the tapestry off the loom, turn it over to the backside and remove the tape. Cut the cotton twine along the middle of the loom (see the image on the right below). Flip the loom back to the front side and gather the first two pieces of twine along the top of the warp and tie them against the first row of weaving. Repeat with the next two pieces of twine and continue until the warp is completely secured along the top and bottom.7 Take the two pieces of twine on opposite ends at the top of the tapestry and tie them together (this will allow the tapestry to hang on the wall). Cut away any extra twine.

VariationsFor younger participants - create the cardboard looms with the warp in advance. Use popsicle sticks with tape for the heddle instead of threading large eye needles.

Added challenge - create colour-blocked shapes in the tapestry and experiment with rya knots for texture (details below). Or add embellishment materials: ribbon, beads or strips of patterned fabric.

Rya knots - Rya knots can create added texture and whimsy to the tapestry. To create a rya knot start by cutting yarn into small lengths (about 4” long). Lay the first piece in a U-shape over the first two pieces of yarn in the warp. Wrap the ends of the yarn under the warp and pull them up until the piece of yarn meets what has previously been woven (see the image on the left below).

Follow-up QuestionsWhat are some examples of everyday objects that are woven? Has learning how to weave changed your understanding or appreciation of those objects? Has it altered your understanding or appreciation of Liv Pedersen’s work? Why or why not?

In what way do you think technology has affected the fibre arts throughout history?

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Colour blocking relating to an item characterized by contrasting blocks or panels of solid, typically bright, colour.

Contrast the state of being strikingly different from something else, typically something in juxtaposition or close association.

Fibre arts refers to fine art whose material consists of natural or synthetic fibre and other components, such as fabric or yarn. It focuses on the materials and on the manual labour on the part of the artist as part of the work’s significance and prioritizes aesthetic value over utility.

Heddle one of a set of looped wires or cords in a loom, with an eye in the centre through which a warp yarn is passed before going through the reed to control its movement and divide the threads.

Leisure freedom provided by the cessation of activities; time free from work or duties.

Loom an apparatus for making fabric by weaving yarn or thread.

Medium refers to the materials that are used to create a work of art.

Narrative a spoken or written account of connected events; a story.

VOCABULARY

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Reed a part of a loom that resembles a comb. It is used to push the weft yarn securely into place as it is woven.

Rya the woven knot typical of a Scandinavian handwoven rug.

Sequence a particular order in which related events, movements or things follow each other.

Sketch a rough or unfinished drawing or painting, often made to assist in making a more finished picture.

Tapestry a piece of thick textile fabric with pictures or designs formed by weaving coloured weft threads or by embroidering on canvas, used as a wall hanging or furniture covering.

Trolls a dwarf or giant in Scandinavian folklore.

Warp the threads on a loom over and under which other threads (the weft) are passed to make cloth.

Weaving formed (fabric or a fabric item) by interlacing long threads passing in one direction with others at a right angle to them.

Weft the crosswise threads on a loom over and under which other threads (the warp) are passed to make cloth or tapestries.

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Alberta Society of Artists. Pulse: The Alberta Society of Artists at 80 Years. Calgary: Alberta Society of Artists, 2011.

Held, Shirley E. Weaving: A Handbook of the Fibre Arts. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.

Nickle Arts Museum. Fibrations: A New Generation of Fibre Art in Alberta. Calgary: Nickle Arts Museum, 1980.

Pedersen, Liv. Interviewed by Shannon Bingeman. Personal interview, November 22, 2015.

Porter, Jenelle. Fibre: Sculpture 1960 – present. Munich: DelMonico Books/ Prestel, 2014.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSTREX Southwest would like to thank the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for their ongoing support as well as the following individuals who contributed to the preparation of this travelling exhibition:

Artist Liv Pedersen, ASACurator Shannon BingemanEditor Caralee HubbellFraming Dave & Kathy Foxcroft, FramecoCrating Doug Haslam, Kodama Woodworking

Cover — Liv Pedersen, The Rockies in the Winter (front and reverse side), 1985. Woven tapestry, 36 x 54 cm. Courtesy of the artist.Page 3 — Liv Pedersen, Over the Hill and Far Away (detail), 2003. Woven tapestry, 54 x 54 cm. Courtesy of the artist.Page 6 — Liv Pedersen, Grandpa's Birthday (detail of first panel), 1992. Woven tapestry, 4 panels each 36 x 54 cm. Courtesy of the artist.Page 8 — Liv Pedersen, Buller Going Down the Slide (detail), 1982. Woven tapestry, 54 x 36 cm. Courtesy of the artist.Page 11 — Liv Pedersen, Self Portrait 2005 (detail), 2005. Woven tapestry, 57 x 40 cm. Courtesy of the artist. Page 19, 20 — Liv Pedersen, Veronica, Walter, Gus, 2012. Woven tapestry, 3 panels each 29 x 22 cm. Courtesy of the artist.Page 21, 22, 26, 27, 30, 31, 33, 34 — Lesson plan photography by Shannon Bingeman.Page 23 — Liv Pedersen, My Three Jobs (detail of third panel), 1982. Woven tapestry, 3 panels each 28 x 37 cm. Courtesy of the artist. Page 35, 36 — Liv Pedersen, Dad's Golden Years (detail of first panel), 1992. Woven tapestry. 4 panels each 36 x 54 cm. Courtesy of the artist.

loom - trexprogramsoutheast.ca … · small-scale tapestries using a primitive dutch plank loom....

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