i think part of the reason i am attracted to fiber art from the 1970s (especially the work of sheila hicks and claire zeisler) is it's grand scale. here you see a couple of detail shots of pieces from claire zeisler's "coil series". the first image is of coil series l which is free hanging and measures 108" (h) x 64" (w) x 40" (d). then we have red forest ll which is 9' x 38' - yes you read correctly that's feet not inches. i'm sure that you share in my frustration of really wanting to see what the whole thing looks like (could not find a long shot but will continue to hunt).
the notion of of someone creating something that monumental fascinates me to no end. but along with that there also comes the longing i have to be able to have the time, a studio space (with tall ceilings) and the materials budget to create something that detailed on a large scale.
(top image from claire zeisler - a retrospective, art institute of chicago, 1979, bottom image from beyond weaving by marcia chamberlain and candace crockett, watson-gutptill publications, 1974)
wow! they're incredible!
Posted by: robbie | March 01, 2012 at 06:47 PM