Glory Box workshop week 6

Last week I posted about my preparation work for Workshop 6 for Glory Box.  This project has been challenging for me to facilitate for a number of reasons - cultural, distance (the project is over 200km away from where I live) and also understanding what is shared between the women who want to make items about Glory Boxes.  

At first I had assumed that the women participating had all made items for their own Glory Box or had access to items from their Mother's or Grandmother's Glory box - but this isn't the case at all - for a number of reasons - including the most tragic; war, and most excitingly; feminism.  It is almost like this project is an opportunity for the women - who are mostly entering the autumn time in their lives to have time, space and support to make beautiful items of hope and joy for a glory box.

As mentioned previously we are working towards making a collaborative table cloth that is exploring the meaning of the table; the items that go on a table and also what the act of sitting around a table can mean. Above is the linen squares cut up and ready to be transformed.

The first hour or so of the session was spent researching imagery  - sourced from books, and google images.  Researching also the stitching and techniques to use to develop up a design.

 Other women are also creating individual works - this work here is a traditional needle work method that I had never come across before called Milon - searching this term in wikipedia I wasn't able to find any more information - so hope to learn more.

 

I apologise for the quality of the photo - but had to include as this image is documenting a very special event - the cutting of the nightie - a very important item for all Glory Boxes!

We meet again next Thursday at the Hunt Club in Deer Park.  The focus of our next session will be working further on our table cloth and individual projects that have started.  As the artist in residence I am to respond to the activities and processes that the project is unravelling.  I have started to do this by making a quilt from baking paper - no images yet - it is still very much in experimentation phase, but I will post about it when the right time comes to share.