Enchanting Arcadia

The overgrown 18th Century pleasure garden that is Hackfall. A wooded paradise of cascades, overhung pool, moss and fern - originally a contained and artfully contrived sylvan idyll. And when I stayed there - snow, hail and ice. I became transfixed by the aspect of the overhung pool, both looking down from above, as in these images, and in the reflections close up. When the thaw set in the fountain began to play again.

The process of mapping the book.

Started a couple of experimental mock-ups for the artists' book - paradise and death the central concerns as usual. Hopefully the format will level the hierarchy of themes distilled by the blog. One big scrap-book with scissors, glue and a pile of paper for the cat to sit on. Also began playing around with a digital version - scrap-book stills on screen. Lots more work needed, but I hope the dual processes will inform each other.

 The Art of Faith show at the Sainsbury Centre building comes down tomorrow and it is snowing again. A rather chilly paradise garden. Here 2D original shown  (as layout plan) with 3D consequences.

Art of Faith information

Eram Garden, Sa'adi tomb and the mosque.

Sorting through piles of old postcards in the loft has given me a chance to continue with the architecture collage I played with using the Indian postcards.  In these images mosque meets paradise garden and religion meets the spiritual, although still not completely secular.  I like the low-fi cut-out and the obvious artifice in the construction.

Persian Garden Collages and Indian Postcards.

Finished two more paradise garden collages, one after 'The Garden of the Octagon'. Thinking about the postcards found in the St Helier (Jersey) fruit and vegetable market and how they connect to my garden collages. I would like to make the architectural elements such as the garden pleasure pavilions in the islamic gardens more explicit - hence "The Great White Gate " amalgam here.

Behind Paradise video

Still from the video from Morocco in the car with Habib.

Editing the 'Behind Paradise' footage from Morocco today and wishing for less snow more sunshine, hence this sunset outside Skoura image. Glowing palm trees in a 'paradise' oasis.

"The foure square forme is the most usually accepted with all, and doth best agree to any mans dwelling ...... yet if t bee longer than the breadth, or broader than the length, the proportion of Walkes, Squares, and knots may be soon brought to the square forme and be so sast, as the beauty thereof may be." Parkinson, Paradisi in sole paradisus terrestris, 1629

Versailles & a knot formation from Paradisi in sole paradisus terrestris 1629