29.10.08
Living art
When we first saw our flat, I felt a bit... umph. We had already agreed to renting it (it belongs to the University, so it's affordable and we are surrounded by fellow student families and couples), so we had to stick to it. The couple who had it before had not moved a single bit of furniture, and had not put up any photos or pictures. they had no flowers or fruit bowls. It felt so cold, I was taken a bit aback. But now we've been there for a month, the place has a bit more of life. We have moved the furniture about so that it suits our needs (working, living), and we have injected a bit of color into the rooms. We are going to be there for 10 months, it's owned by the Uni and we are broke. This means no Eames chairs (some day...), or vintage wooden tables, or plush handwoven textiles. It means make do with as little as possible because it's provivional and it was half-furnished (grr, ugly, ugly, ugly). We can't even really hand things on the walls! But, ha!, we can stick things to the walls!
And this is what I wanted to tell you. How it marvels me how two pieces interact when they are placed next to each other. A narrative evolves, and the pieces acquire a whole new meaning.
(Pic before, the Moomin and "Eliminate with softness" from my sister).
These are on top of our "sofa". They are acrylic portraits of Mr. M and me, with all the testing of the print I posted about some days ago (still to come to the shop). When the two portraits are shown together, they have a sense of unity, of "us". And with the prints, it' a full on declaration.
I wake up everyday to this wall. I consider it a work in progress. Little bits and pieces are added as they join the family. You can see pieces I've talked about. The two top sketches are studies for the portraits on top of the sofa. Then there's a Betsy Walton; a Louise Bourgeois handkerchief for Third drawer down (it reads I've been to hell and back, and let me tell you, it was wonderful). This contrasts the ad man print (from Bricklane in london), which claims It's going to get worse. There's my new Sandra Jutos (see some posts before), and the Mon petit phantome owls. Oh, and the ukio-e images (search old post).It all speaks about life and growth to me.
Then there's another Betsy Walton, with a random image from a flyer and a cut out from a movie ad that reads "Sometimes life brings strange surprises". And I find a connection in the sense of awe and surprise and love of life.
This is my "journey" wall, with more Ukio-e and an Ashley G and Drew.
And these are doors, to our bedroom (Ashley G and Drew again), with decals from Tasty suite (you've heard about them before, too). And the front door, with a ahnd crocheted robot from the V&A in london, and another decal.
There's nothing like personalizing your space...I do the same thing- it makes it seem more like "home!"
I love what you've done to your walls. I understand your frustration about not being able to hang pieces etc...as I've lived in places with the same restrictions. That said, your place looks really fab anyways. A nice happy creative space :)