Thursday, June 14, 2012

Collisions: Julie Clarke + Mark McDean (9.06.12)

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...2 ovals 17 X 11 cm. Julie Clarke 2012
Left: One tear sewn with cross-stitch embroidery using gold metallic thread on red oval felt with 12 silver safety pins.
Right: A photograph of my opened mouth sewn onto striped scrapbook party paper with gold metallic thread & small gold safety pins around the edge.

When I received Mark's recent artwork I recalled having seen pajamas  made of the striped fabric he'd placed over his head. Wallpaper & candles for a birthday cake were also often made in these rainbow colors. I immediately recalled the chorus of the song It's my party. The mind makes connections in mysterious ways.  I had no idea which year this song was played on the radio until I searched the web. It was sung by Lesley Gore and was a number one hit in 1963, the year my mother re-entered my life after a seven year absence and it was a year of turmoil. I say all this in response to Mark's piece which engaged with gender expectations. I recall being overwhelmed just thinking about having to become a woman. I'm constantly surprised at how the conscious mind forgets, but unconscious thoughts and memories manage to come to the surface, inspired by a simple image.

3 comments:

  1. I would like thank you and your fellow bloggers for your thought-provoking work - I try to follow it regularly, as do many others. Could I make a suggestion about the format - the white-on-black is difficult to read and not very user-friendly - would it be possible to change it back to black-on-white to improve the aesthetics and readability?
    thanks again for your blog,
    deb

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  2. I hope that it is easier to read now Deb.

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    Replies
    1. yes that's great thanks Julie

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