Women Warriors: Headdresses by Erin Shaw
source: http://www.awakenedaesthetic.com/2011/04/women-warriors-headdresses-by-erin-shaw/
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When I was little, I used to pretend I was a wild girl. I would sit in the tub, water running, while my parents complained that my baths took too long and can you imagine the hot water bill and what was I doing in there?…and suddenly the shower became a waterfall, the steam became the heat of the jungle, and I became a powerful Amazon, lost to the wilderness, raised by wolves.
I still do that sometimes, actually. (Luckily, my partner loves long baths just as much as I do. It’s our one big eco-waste.)
Unlike me, Erin Shaw doesn’t waste anything. In fact, her warrior fantasies are represented in her art: faux animal headdresses made of found natural objects, like tree bark, woven together with felted wool.
“The very beginning of nature and earth can be read in a tree. By using fragments of trees through consistent collecting, the work echos it’s inherent lineage. The collected material that I incorporate into the work inspires the direction of each piece. Allowing the work to transform the wearer, creating a new story in each atmosphere.
“This work reflects a personal exploration of the living soul through metaphorical constructions. Each piece investigates multiple associations that are present in nature through timeless enchantment. I favor found materials that contribute their function, cultural value, and traces of personal history into each design. By employing basic methods of connection such as felting, knitting and crochet the work is imbued with a strong feminine sensibility.”
-Erin’s artist statement
Based in Cambridge, MA, Erin uses traditional techniques to create free-form sculptures that are inspired by and pertain to the female figure. Her work “stems from an affinity to nature and a mysterious connection to [her] ancestry.”
“The silhouette of each work is derived from the silhouettes of trees with an emphasis on the feminine figure.”
Each one-of-a-kind piece starts with found materials, which Erin is constantly collecting, and takes two-to-three months to complete. The headdresses are needle felted by hand, or created using free-form knit and crochet to symbolize the textures of bark and moss. However, all of her designs have one thing in common: they each lead back to a respect and reverence for mother nature, for the female form, and most importantly, for the found items she uses to create her headdresses: trees.
“The idea of the tree in particular; family tree, roots, time, history remains an important icon in the direction of each piece.”
[View more images at the webpage.]
http://www.awakenedaesthetic.com/2011/04/women-warriors-headdresses-by-erin-shaw...
I still do that sometimes, actually. (Luckily, my partner loves long baths just as much as I do. It’s our one big eco-waste.)
Unlike me, Erin Shaw doesn’t waste anything. In fact, her warrior fantasies are represented in her art: faux animal headdresses made of found natural objects, like tree bark, woven together with felted wool.
“The very beginning of nature and earth can be read in a tree. By using fragments of trees through consistent collecting, the work echos it’s inherent lineage. The collected material that I incorporate into the work inspires the direction of each piece. Allowing the work to transform the wearer, creating a new story in each atmosphere.
“This work reflects a personal exploration of the living soul through metaphorical constructions. Each piece investigates multiple associations that are present in nature through timeless enchantment. I favor found materials that contribute their function, cultural value, and traces of personal history into each design. By employing basic methods of connection such as felting, knitting and crochet the work is imbued with a strong feminine sensibility.”
-Erin’s artist statement
Based in Cambridge, MA, Erin uses traditional techniques to create free-form sculptures that are inspired by and pertain to the female figure. Her work “stems from an affinity to nature and a mysterious connection to [her] ancestry.”
“The silhouette of each work is derived from the silhouettes of trees with an emphasis on the feminine figure.”
Each one-of-a-kind piece starts with found materials, which Erin is constantly collecting, and takes two-to-three months to complete. The headdresses are needle felted by hand, or created using free-form knit and crochet to symbolize the textures of bark and moss. However, all of her designs have one thing in common: they each lead back to a respect and reverence for mother nature, for the female form, and most importantly, for the found items she uses to create her headdresses: trees.
“The idea of the tree in particular; family tree, roots, time, history remains an important icon in the direction of each piece.”
[View more images at the webpage.]
http://www.awakenedaesthetic.com/2011/04/women-warriors-headdresses-by-erin-shaw...
