Friday, July 18, 2008

You Gorgeous Thing!




Wow. I was flicking through the May/June 2008 issue of Minerva Magazine and found, on page 47 this gorgeous pic. In a run-dwn of the 109th annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, Jerome M. Eisenberg included several abstracts of some of the papers presented. The paper to which this image belongs is 'Aphrodite, Isis, Eileithyia: Dedications, Representations, or Instruments of Magic?' By Maya B. Muratov (New York University). The figure pictured here is "A particular type of terracotta figurine of a seated, dressed or nude woman with articulated arms, usually with an elaborate stephane (tiara-like crown), high-soled sandals, and intricate jewellery, is often termed an 'Oriental Aphrodite'. Dating between the 1st century BC and early 1st century AD, they are found in Asia Minor and the Greek islands of Delos and Thasos... They should be considered not just as votive representations of the deities, but as instruments used in magical rituals concerned with childbirth and fertility. Several recently discovered standing female figurines even have openings in their stomachs containing representations of foetuses." Like this one here. How cute is that!?! Then of course I immediately thought of Salvador Dali's 'Venus de Milo with Drawers'.

Friday, July 11, 2008

More Votive Dresses




Here are some more votive dresses. They are made out of paper, silk, mohair, wool, linen, jute, rayon, cotton and rue (the herb). I'm making them because we're having an exhibition called 'Bias Bound' during August at three different venues in Melbourne. Here are the details: BIAS BOUND Dates: Victorian Tapestry Workshop 262-266 Park Street South Melbourne VIC 3205 - Tuesday 5 August to Friday 29 August (Opening: Tuesday 5 August, 6-8pm); Self Preservation 70 Bourke Street Melbourne, VIC 3000 Wednesday 6 August to Sunday 31 August (Opening: Wednesday 6 August, 6-8pm); and Stephen McLaughlan Gallery Level 8, Room 16, Nicholas Building 37 Swanston Street Melbourne VIC 3000 Wednesday July 31 – Saturday August 23 (Opening - Saturday August 9, 2-4pm).