Dresden Exhibition: Paper Alive!
12 September 2023 – 29 October 2023
Design Campus, Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD), Pillnitz Palace, Dresden, Germany.
One of my sculptural seaweed paper dresses Springtide has been selected for the exhibition ‘Paper Alive’, to be held in conjunction with the IAPMA (International Association of Papermakers and Artists) Congress in Germany later this year.
Springtide
marine macroalgae paper on acrylic stand
20 x 18 x 15 cm
‘Springtide’ refers to the spring tide of the seas and the spring tide of life – the springing forth of the tide during a full moon, and the growth and blossoming of life during spring. The paper for this artwork is made from seaweeds that were cast ashore by a spring tide. The dress symbolises the freshness, joy and gaiety of the springtime of life.
Paper fulfills a variety of roles in our world. To the casual observer, paper can be a passive, single-use substance – something easily discarded after it has served its limited or temporary function. For the artist, the longevity of paper is crucial, as it dictates the lifespan of an artwork. Finally for the paper artist, PAPER is a medium very much ALIVE – malleable, enduring, and even assertive – , and it is precisely these characteristics that will be highlighted during the 2023 IAPMA Congress in Dresden, PAPER ALIVE!
Just as society is springing back to life after a long hibernation mandated by the pandemic, PAPER is enjoying a similar re-blossoming and rediscovery among artists and craftspeople who are creating fertile ground for its continued growth and development as an artform. Paper is a living and responsive material. Paper carries and preserves the lives and stories of people, the expressions of imaginations and dreams, the plans, thoughts, and aspirations of the individual and of societies and cultures - bringing all of these vividly to life, each time we encounter them. As a medium, paper defies expectations and transforms itself into lushly textured drawings, paintings, and prints; into artist books; into jewelry, textile, and fashion; into sculptures and installation; into environment and theatre; into an experience for all of the senses.
A slide show of the ‘Paper Alive’ exhibition can be viewed on the IAPMA YouTube channel at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzLei5Pmy5Q