When thinking about society as an organism I started to explore the herd as a symbol. Herd behaviour is described generally as how individuals in a group can act collectively without an intended direction. A group of animals fleeing a predator shows the nature of herd behaviour, there is no collaboration within the group and it provokes a panic response. I am interested in how this relates to the heightened fear within politics, responses and what these mean for the world. The environment is also threatened in many ways from global warming, nature's struggles and the impact of human development on animal populations and balance, possibly triggering waves of uncertainty and primal fears around limited resources and survival. I have started working on a piece which explores the potential for everyone to be both hunter or hunted, fearful or fear provoking and how these are interlinked. Continuing my use of owls as messengers, I have used these as the central point which I will expand on by including wolves and deer within the image. The title 'you are me and you are not' refers to the blurred lines between people and how easy it is to become what you are against in response to feeling threatened. Those who may see themselves as open minded may become narrow minded for example. This also relates to the political polarisation that has occurred in recent years, it becomes hard to see or understand different views, where lines are drawn between people. Using the herd as a symbol, I am interested in how the organism has many movements within it, pulling in different directions, but when one individual or group moves, the whole direction is shifted. The circle around the owls for the herd is based on the snake that eats its own tail in ancient Egyptian mythology, the response to fear of running in no particular direction causing waves of movement relates to cyclical patterns and also to self-destruction. These unfinished embroideries mark the start of working within these themes. The form of embroidery and tapestries inspired the use of thread and stitching. Tapestries were and are a form of sharing ideas and narratives. Due to their transportable nature they were also more widely accessible when compared to other forms of art. Tapestries have often been a platform for reflection, marking historical events, stories and observations of current issues. For more thoughts on the narrative nature and history of this art form see... https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/now-at-the-met/2014/tapestry-as-news
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AuthorBeth Hoyes - Art Psychotherapist, Artist and Writer Archives
June 2020
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