Egyptian – Page 3 – THE SCULPTOR'S WIFE

‘Mother & Child’

It is such an age-old theme tackled by artists time and time again and it very difficult to name it anything other than ‘Mother and Child’. For those with an untuned eye at ‘the art of seeing’ in abstract/ minimalistic art; if you look at the top image, the shadow on the wall created by the sculpture gives you a shadow of what could be the shadow of a reclined figure. You can see the head and then the knee and lower leg. I wish had the serenity of a mother lying down, with this ‘calm pink’ oosing out in an aura of loveliness. The curves of the piece, the natural flow of line gives the shape of natural peaceful parent. I feel, however, that these last six weeks of summer holiday was more an image of me as a cartoon cardboard cutout and a mama with the blues for one reason or another. So this piece sums up my own ‘head and heart’ grapplings with motherhood at the moment. Today was the first day back at school for my eldest into his second year and it felt more emotional than his first. He is growing up and I think in tandem with my youngest reaching two years, those early baby days are starting to become days of the past. (The baby hopefully obviously the negative space in the middle of the sculpture)

I noticed this morning that the wind was whisking the leaves of the trees already, autumn approaches and yet where was summer (think this contributed to the bluesy feeling in the latter part of August). Change is in the air again. This week the anniversary of my husband’s mother’s birth and death. This in itself, a reason why the theme of mother and child is so prominent in his work. Part of the cycle of life, we watch our children grow and we watch our parents age. The seasons change like the stage of life. Everything has it’s moment to flourish and grow and the time to withdraw and slow down. We have to remember to be in the moment to appreciate what we have.

Windows of antiquity

It’s interesting how shop windows are designed to pull people in where as in our homes we put up blinds and curtains to stop people looking in. Understandably of course, we don’t want to attract people to peering into our windows. It makes me reflect on the beautiful Japanese homes I visited where the garden would be in the centre of the house and the walls would slide to let you open out into it. I don’t recall windows. Almost like little boxes with moving window walls.

I have often thought about the expression ”our eyes are windows to the soul”. For a painter the eyes are symbolic of romance, passion, mystic. For a sculptor the eye is always dead, whatever the scale of the sculptor ‘s ability there is no way of creating it. Perhaps that is proof enough that our soul is visible through the eye.

To contrast from my last two blog entries, not so locally, in Kings Road London ‘Pregnant’ the piece by my husband has been positioned cleverly in the centre mirroring the geometric shapes in the painting behind (Andrew Burgess). Quite an impressive window display. Ralph Waldo Emerson so eloquently put that,” the eyes indicate the antiquity of the soul” this is so much more expressive. There is something, rich and fine about antique objects and to indicate the depth of soul in such away gives more meaning than simply a window.

The piece stands out within this antique setting as the modern colours are bold and vibrant against the classical soft browns and blues. With the universal rules of mathematical proportion but the quirky playful touch reminding us it is modern day.However, it is not lost here. Like some futuristic object that has found a home amongst fellow works of art, its antiquity resonates. A real masterpiece in the window. It stamps Egyptian style, drawing on the antiquities of the past.

Dress Code

wordless — ‘Wordless, Part of the Keyhole Family collection’

I read something today that was stating that when it comes to fashion men either give credit to their wives picking it out for them or it happened by accident, they have no relationship with what they are wearing. In America if someone is well dressed they would say, is he gay or is he British? Apparently British Men are more dapper !?

Well, what about an Egyptian born British Sculptor, whose wife is certainly not dressing him. Last night he was in ‘atypical male fashion’ having a dilemma about what to take with him to London. Hope he won’t mind me for saying this, it resulted in, a ridiculously big bag, in my opinion being taken out of the cupboard so that all options could be taken. All this is quite absurd to me, who perhaps conversely is a untypical woman, but also spending most of my days bumbling around with children in Yorkshire. I am not overly offay with the fashion world (perhaps a little more so since being married to someone who is) however it is not a preoccupation of mine. I spent a very happy three years at University in rowing gear which for me was comfy but also carried the street cred without having to worry about it. I look back at my early twenties and half think, what was I thinking, why wasn’t I interested in shopping. However, it is very different for woman there is so much more wrapped up within the fabric of ‘dressing’ (That’s another blog). I am now learning there is a lot to dress code, in the sense that there does need to be a certain degree of dressing well. People do make judgements, rightly or wrongly. First impressions do count. There is no point in still throwing on the comfy jumper that has been washed endlessly it no longer has a shape…is there? You never know who you might bump into.

So in trying to get to the bottom of my husbands concerns about ‘what to wear’ I asked him what the dilemma was exactly.As I write, he is at BIB&SOLA (which I blogged about yesterday) upmarket event at Mayfair.

So, my husband said there was a need to be looking both smart for the collectors but without looking like a ‘banker’ and with a fashion edge to relate to the arty types. Then, tomorrow night he is at the young master’s auction in Kings Road, the space is tight and so it’s going to be hot, people need to be smart but cool, as there isn’t going to be the space people will be more face to face talking than physically observing. He was thinking of all the variations, scenarios, impressions…even down to the facial hair and the hats I may add. Shoes…well, trust me it is not just woman who like shoes.

It would appear ones dress code is an art itself. I began to see why he needed his wardrobe with him. If he wasn’t a Sculptor, he could be someone’s personal shopper. I don’t know whether it is the eye for what goes together in the 3D form or the eye for design but it’s great to take him shopping. Wonder what he is wearing….

Being Egyptian

“Being Egyptian, I can never quite shake the legacy of my country’s history. Durability and beauty are very important to me.”

When you see my husband’s work and make the connection he is Egyptian you can see the Egyptian influence in his work. The obilisque ideas, the geometric shapes, the pyramids! The strength and power behind the works. One of the reasons why the ancient Egyptian artefacts have lasted perhaps better than their Roman counterparts is because the Egyptian ones are solid. Solid in that there are no gaps, between the bodies and the arms, for example. There is no space for the elements to radically erode the stone. This technique is very visible in my husbands’ work. This use of old techniques and method and recognition of the past is the philosophy behind the Young Master’s prize’s. Next week my husband is off on his travels to London again to put two pieces, this one above, in an exhibition and auction to raise money for this prize.

(On 18 June to 4 July, the Young Masters initiative is hosting a fundraising auction and exhibition at Rupert Cavendish Antiques, 610 King’s Road, London SW6. On 21st June, from 6.30 to 9.30pm they are hosting a fundraising reception and auction of selected works from the exhibition, to be hosted by Kate McKenzie, one of the Christie’s auctioneering team.)

I, on the other hand am not Egyptian. I am quintessentially English. However I do feel Egypt is in my blood. My first taste of it was when I was a student and had gathered my pennies and worked millennium Eve to afford the flight and travel around Egypt. excited and independent my journey there was an adventure in itself. I chose to be ‘bumped off’ the plane from Amsterdam to Egypt to gain a little more cash and naively failed to tell anyone what I was doing. After being put up in a hotel in Amsterdam and then due to fog, having to fly back to London followed by delays at Heathrow, I was, therefore,rather late arriving in Egypt. Perhaps all would have been fine, except I was being met by a fellow student and when I didn’t show at the airport phone my worried parents who couldn’t track me as I had boarded and flown out of Leeds successfully. So I almost filed as ‘a missing person’. Lesson learnt; always phone home.

However, the rest of my travel around Egypt was successful and once I had floated on a felucca on the Nile, there was no stopping my return. I remember the dusk dusty departure, weeping for no apparent reason other than I had fallen in love with the land. Little did I know then that I would fall in love with an Egyptian in my small yorkshire village, marry and have two sons. We have since had a few trips there and back. With my eldest I had a substantial stay for six weeks with my Sister in Law and a ‘real egyptian experience’…that’s another story.

For me, there are no borders and boundaries on the world. We can find a place so foreign that somehow feels like home. On a day-to-day level now we have little taste of Egypt when we listen to arabic music, when we cook Egyptian food, a few weeks ago when we had a blast of heat. In the evening it would smell a little like Egypt. These are the things that are missed, the smells, the sights, the sound and the sisters.

So, there is a little flavour for now. When we will physically return there who knows.. a country currently in change.

The Keyhole Family

This sculpture of five pieces present five different emotions we all share, we all go through. Sometimes, we pass through them; sometimes we get stuck in them. Beyond our differences of shapes, colour, education we all share the similarity of emotion and experiences. The focus behind this collection is to highlight the similarity between all of us; whatever we try to hide or expose, admit or deny. The ‘keyhole’ symbolises our vulnerability and if someone manages to find the right key then they find our weakness.

I haven’t sat and written for a while as it has been so hot, too hot to do much! These five little men making up The Keyhole family has been bought and now live in someone’s house. So I thought I had better write a little about them before the next generation are born. I had an image of these little men half buried in a desert like landscape being discovered after thousands of years and a new age of people or alien beings discovering them in the midst of desolation. Like archeologist discovering Egypt’s ancient treasures. What would ‘they’ understand about ‘us’. Cheerful, happy faces vibrant colours on the surface everything is alright. The individual design shows a deeper level of thought displaying some of the issues of humanity we face.

Confused???

We get confused from time to time….

Sweet Kiss

All of us sometimes relies upon the sweeter person within us and this person deserves a kiss!….

Philosopher

Nations and cultures have built themselves on some words of wisdom and some of us chose it as a path….

Mr Hot & Mr Cold

Represents our sexuality level and how this changes and how some people can control it like a tap….

Awakening

2012 so far has been a little sleep deprived. I think colds, teeth and just general comfort are the main reasons my baby keeps ‘waking up’ at the moment. For me it is on top of 17 months of sleepless nights so it is starting to take its toll. However, I know this whole period doesn’t last long and I am sensing already a ‘waking up’ from the comatose state of baby days. As the baby grows into a toddler it also feels like a ‘waking up’, so much more active. Walking, babbling, playing..less sleeping during the day! Their senses awakening to the world around them.

I was heartened to read two articles recently which confirmed my own method of sleep and motherhood. It is amazing how just another person agreeing with you gives you the confidence to feel stronger in your own stand point. I was lacking that confidence due to the fact that I am very aware that in a western society the idea of co-sleeping with your infant is ‘not the done thing’. We are programmed some how through media and community to put the baby in a crib and then a cot in the nursery. Affected by my maternity in Egypt both my boys have slept in my bed. It has been so much easier for a variety of reasons, if not simple due to lack of space, but also I have found dragging myself out of bed so much more tiring as it ‘wakes you up’.

Despite the recent snow and ice there are subtle signs of spring. Life is also waking up slowly as the crisp winter mornings are un-curling into sunnier spring afternoons. We continue to have awakenings throughout life, we have to be ready to unfold into them.

Euphoria

To follow-up Monday’s interview and my french translation entry on Debut, ‘Euphoria’ comes from Ancient Greek. Technically, euphoria is an affect, but the term is often used to define an emotion as, an ‘intense state of transcendent happiness combined with an overwhelming sense of contentment’. It has also been defined as an “affective state of exaggerated well-being or elation.” (Wikipedia).I have just jumped up and down for 10 minutes making a strange kind of squeaking noise I didn’t know I had inside me, whilst my husband rang me to tell me that he had been SELECTED!!!! We are both in a Euphoric state. My husband said he wanted to leave everything at the shop and literally run home. His euphoric energy would probably only get him a few yards before his body told him the reality. However, he had to stay and see a customer. The word derives from Greek εὐφορία, “power of enduring easily, fertility”. So this sketch embodies exactly that.

Also, in Egypt they celebrate a year on from the revolution. My sister-in-law seems quite euphoric about the future for her children. I must find out more from friends and family over there. It is also a close friends birthday. Happy Day! Euphoric Day in fact.

The role of women

I have been thinking a lot about women and their roles in the home recently, perhaps because we just watched two films recently which made me realise how much things have changed in my own lifetime regarding a woman’s role in the home and at work. It is hard to comprehend fully what it was like to not have choice and options available to you when we have it all now. The woman who fought for the right to vote, equal pay, and working jobs and at home to make ends meet had a cause, determination and made history. So have things really changed? Have we not made life more difficult for ourselves?

When washing machines, fridges and household machinery became available to woman in the home was it not to make life easier? Did we really need to make it our mission to go out into the workplace and compete in the arena with men to give ourselves more jobs to do? I know there is often not the choice , that needs must and it isn’t that I am anti feminism, I think every woman has the right to have the choice to work if she wants to and the problem in today’s society is woman need to, or so we say. Now we have to do it all. As a consequence, we expect men to do more around the house and roles are shared and split throughout. I read an article in ‘Good Housekeeping GH’ (obviously a magazine aimed at woman may I add). It was highlighting the issues that men face as a result of woman now ‘stamping in men’s stomping ground’.

It is true, we don’t really want to imagine men wearing an apron pushing a hoover, do we? it is not after all what defines masculinity. But so many women speak of how they do all the work around the house and their partners don’t lift a finger. Perhaps they take out the rubbish, although according to GH when doing this they are actually thinking about is “chopping wood to build a shelter or herding bison.” Anyway, I am diverting from the role of woman here.

Why do woman struggle with staying at home, looking after the kids, cleaning and cooking. The beauty of today’s world is that doesn’t mean we can no longer be intellectually inferior or not participate in society. Surely if there was more of a shift to woman being more home based ( that could mean working from home, more part-time and flexible working, involvement in community service) we would solve so many antisocial problems. The secret, I guess lies in finding beauty in the mundane, the repetition, the knowledge that a stable and ‘a good meal on the table’ prepares your children for their future.

Perhaps I am being to radical and idealist but what is wrong with a woman wearing an apron, baking and generally being queen of her domain. If we are to be home based then men need to respect that it is still a job. The job at home is after all management,, teacher, cleaner, conflict manager, gardener, office organiser, shopper, counsellor, nutrition and dietician, finance planner, secretary and general dogsbody and there are no holidays or time off. Why have woman shunned this work and clambered to be in the work place? I think of the books like Reveloutionary road depicting a woman struggling with the life of a

I suppose the real point is that all of this is ok when and if your partner is able to support you emotionally, financially and intellectually. So as my husband hands me my ‘pocket money’ I am thankful for the unique position of being able to be at ‘home’ and more importantly happy to be so.

Arabesque

Arabesque ; The name has multi-importance in our household. This is the last piece that was in the exhibition and in many ways the most important. Firstly it is an important islamic art style, you can see plenty in Morocco and a better explanation in the blog of a dear friend who lives there. Arabesque art consists of a series of repeating geometric forms and hence the name of this piece.

In 2008 we bought and named our business ARABESQUE , (link to website which will be ready shortly) both of us claiming that we had that light bulb moment of thinking of the name, neither of us can actually remember who thought of it, but it was very fitting. Actually it is the 3 year anniversary of opening this month as well as being 8 years since we first met!

My husband listens to his friends radio programme called Arabesque, it’s in arabic, if you can’t understand the lingo just listen to the music it’s on this Sunday at 1pm, it is a wonderful blend .

The connection between these is not only the name but the inspiration; ‘Egyptian European’ I would describe it as. In this piece the obvious repeated pyramid and the obelisk form are both egyptian in design and heritage. The fact that most of Egypt’s obelisks are dotted around Europe provokes an interesting debate about where countries history should be kept and preserved!?

If I am remembering correctly it was one of the first of the steel sculptures to be made. The vision is that it could be made on so many scales and have an impact on the landscape around it. It has also been in another exhibition where it was exhibited outdoor, but it could be made much larger. It is also a kind of homage to industrial architecture and construction and coincidentally when in London for the Art in Mind exhibition he took a picture which demonstrates this, you’d think the photo came before the sculpture. I will try to get that photo uploaded at a later date.

So, I need to upload this as I have been dipping in and out all week.

We have a few more projects in the pipe line and more sculptures to come. Happy Friday!

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: