CHARMS OF THE GLOAMING
“But I moved one hand carelessly and the whole flock was up in a minute and whizzing across the river.”
Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison
Charms of the Gloaming
2012
Wednesday 24th of October – Friday 30th of November, 2012
Little Window of Opportunity
Port Jackson Press Print Room, 61 Smith Street, Fitzroy
December 7, 1906
Went to F— Duckponds. Flocks of Wigeon and Teal on the water. Taking advantage of a dip in the land managed to stalk them splendidly, and for quite a long time I lay among the long grass watching them through my field glasses. But during the day Wild Duck are not particularly lively or interesting birds. Occasionally one will paddle around lazily. But for the most part they show a great ennui and seem so sleepy and tired that one would almost think to be able to approach and feed them out of hand. But I moved one hand carelessly and the whole flock was up in a minute and whizzing across the river. Afterwards, at dusk, on returning to the ponds, they had come back; but now that the sun was down, those dozy, flapdoodle creatures of the afternoon were transformed into quacking, quarrelsome, blustering birds that squabbled and chivvied each other, every moment seizing the chance of a luxurious dip, flinging the ice-cold water off their backs with a shake of the tail that seemed to indicate the keenest-edged delight.
(W.N.P. Barbellion, The Journal of a Disappointed Man, Little Toller Books)
Bring me your Honey buzzards, your Common swifts, your Eurasian sparrowhawks, and your Gyr falcons too. Your birds you see as dusk settles on the stage and prepares to darken to a night winged with a wide sweep of owls. Quickly now, things are about to disappear into the darkness.
Assembled in the window, we have for you, paper birds drawn, collaged works, and artists’ books. These are our Charms of the Gloaming, our tiny scenes soon to change.
We are besotted with paper for its foldable, concealable, revealing nature, and our artists’ books, prints, and other such works, use an armoury of play, humour, and perhaps the poetic too, to lure one closer. The words of Gogol whisper in the ear, “the longer and more carefully we look at a funny story, the sadder it becomes”. And thus, we leave our scenes open-ended, inviting you to ponder and perhaps find that things are not as they first appear.
Sleeping during the day (2010), Beneath the Screen of Closed Eyelids (Port-Said) (2012), To spend a quiet day (Interlaken Berner Oberland) (2012), and All that’s bewitching by the water (Capri) (2012) are but a handful of our artists’ books on display in the Port Jackson Press Print Room’s Little Window of Opportunity late October and the greedy lion’s share of November.
Press your nose to the glass. Do.
Charms of the Gloaming list of works (4 page PDF)
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A little chat with Gracia & Louise
Pretty Paper Things
18th September, 2012
A few years ago I stumbled upon the work of Gracia & Louise. The Aussie duo create artists’ books, zines and prints that are full of striking images. I can stare at them for hours and always find something new on each page. I think this quote by Fiona West, the Senior Curator at Latrobe Regional Gallery, sums up their work perfectly.
The world of Gracia & Louise is an elaborate fairytale that transcends all logic of time and truth. Images bounce from past to recent, reality to fiction and come together in a perfectly constructed world, rich in narrative and wonder.
I was lucky enough to ask the lovely ladies a few questions about their work.
How long have you been creating your artist books and zines?
We've been making our artists’ books and zines for many a year now. Casting a quick eye over own site, many a year turns out to actually span a decade and a nose. Sometime in the year 2000, we completed our first artists’ book, This morning I went into the garden. Two years after that, on the back of a trip inspiring to Budapest, we made, together with Gaby Bila-Günther, our first zine, Is there kunst in the house. Things have changed a great deal since these early works of ours, and our footing feels more assured. Recent artists' books have found us Sleeping during the day, and up in the air with The first aerial travellers. We’ve discovered something we love and are pursuing it still.
Where did the idea to create your books and zines come from?
Bookmaking, working with paper, small editions and the like, these are things that for a long while have interested us. We were drawn to artists’ books because they are something you hold in your hand, and they present a delicious challenge to exhibit. Ours, for the present, are generally smaller than they are large in terms of size, and there are so many possibilities that it is hard not to fall for them, in truth.
What sort of imagery inspires you?
Ideas for our artists’ books and in turn our zines and other small publications come from everywhere and everything. Sometimes it is not so much where the idea comes from that is important to us. Sometimes the reverse is true. Ideas come from films seen, books read, thoughts had, dreams peculiar, conversations overheard. You never know when a good idea will tap you on your shoulder so we've found it is best to have pen and paper on standby always.
Our most recent collaborative zine, An even distribution of weight was inspired indirectly by Graeme Murphy’s Romeo & Juliet (which we saw performed twice in the month of September by The Australian Ballet), and later as we cut out the Diana monkey’s form and balanced him atop a circus plinth, Prokofiev played in the background.
As to imagery we are drawn to, it varies though it is safe to say the animal and nature feature near to always.
How would you describe your work?
We enjoy making our work and hope this comes through. This would be how we would describe the paper things we make.
We enjoy the freedom of working with paper, be it collaged postcards, drawings, artists’ books, lithographic offset prints, or zines photocopied, cut-down, glued and editioned. As often we've said before, and in fear of repeating ourselves, we are besotted with paper for its adaptable, foldable, cut-able, concealable, revealing nature.
Are there any other artists that inspire you?
Yes, many. Hundreds. From those working in film, to dancers, to those who create music, write prose, paint the canvas. There are so many people whom we admire and stand in awe of their skill, work, and dedication. In the theatre, in the gallery, in the cinema, in the museum, these are our favourite places to be.
Through each of our blogs, Elsewhere and High Up in the Trees, we have been fortunate to get to ‘meet’ many great artists and wordsmiths too.
Here are but a few:
Alexandra Hedberg
Camilla Engman
Thereza Rowe
Hila Shachar
Fanja Ralison
Anna Emilia
Lisa Solomon
….and many others.
Interview with Kristie Bradfield, 18th of September, 2012 for Pretty Paper Things: A blog for paper lovers
