‘Deep Cuts’ exhibition at LACMA
Inspiration
I sailed a lot with my Dad from the age of 12. He had a feel for the sea and so I always felt completely safe when he was skipper. He understood the clouds, the waves and the mood of the sea. However a voyage was never embarked upon without first listening to The Shipping Forecast. We would sit huddled in the cabin and listen intently to the magical language of the areas and their ‘sea states’. In those days I had no idea where Forties, Dogger, Wight or Biscay were, or even that they were areas of the sea, just that I had to be quiet while he would concentrate and scribble important notes.
My sister was younger and never came sailing with us. She younger and would remain at home with our mum, who had never learned to swim. However they would listen to the Shipping Forecast too, and my sister, who also had no clue what the peculiar words meant, said that she felt connected to us through its strange language.
How many people I wonder have stories of their own relationship to our nation’s strangest language ? It is a poetry of the sea, of our island nation and its place in the world described through its weather. It is now over 100 years old and continues to give solace to the sailor and the insomniac on a dark night.
Pinboard / Inspiration
Sketch / Design
As I began to map out the design, I didn’t want the pattern to be dominated by the shape of the British Isles, while at the same time the design wouldn’t make any sense if they weren’t there. So I began to create pictorial images to carry the words of the 31 shipping areas, a puffin for Fair Isle, a Viking ship for Viking and a group of migrating swallows for Biscay. The British Isles are still depicted as the familiar shape filled with a leafy pattern, but the sea and the shipping areas are the important features on which I want your eyes to focus and are brought alive by fishing boats, whales, lobsters and lighthouses.
Carving Linos
An intricate design to trace and cut, ensuring the letters of all the words were preserved and legible.
Colours / Print
I wanted this to be a two colour print, ie two linos. However I also wanted to create a third colour by overlaying the two colours, and thus displaying the beauty and charm of lino printing
Final result / Wallpaper
