African Collection - The British Museum.

Mans Cloth - El Anatsui - Ghana - 1998-2001

Created from recycled metal foil bottle neck wrappers and copper wire. This is based around traditional Ghanian kente cloth. It is based around the idea of memory loss and the erosion of traditional cultural values. This piece is beautiful, I love that it is a 'modernised' version of an age old tradition. I also like that it is made out of mostly recycled materials. 

The Benin Plaque.

The Portuguese brought brass bracelets to the kingdom of Benin in the late 1400's to exchange for pepper ivory and slaves. The artists of Benin made the brass into these plaques for the oba's palace, when they were brought to europe in the 1890's the europeans were shocked and astounded that the africans had created these pieces of art work. The british got hold of these because the Benin's resisted british control and in the late 1890's Benin people killed the british whom had tried to take control so they 'took' thousands of treasures as 'booty' including over one thousand of these plaques from the palace. The treasures caused appreciation for African art which gave influence to 20th century Western art.

I have mixed feelings about The Benin Plaque as it was basically taken from them by the British without consent, although I understand that this piece should be in a museum where thousands of people can have the chance to see it I also feel that it should be given back as these plaques ownership is not ours nor is it borrowed work.

The Tree Of Life.

The tree of life symbolises the creativity of Africa. This piece is from the Transforming Arms Into Tools project in 1995 which is supported by the charity Christian Aid, which included people giving up their weapons for useful items such as sewing machines, bicycles and tools for growing food. The tree of life is made completely out of old guns and other weapons by the group of artists, Maputo. The Tree of Life is an amazing concept I love that the pieces look at first glance like metal animals and the tree but when you look properly you start to see the great destruction which was caused by the arms which were used to create the piece.

The Path of Roses.

This tells the story of the 13th century mystic Jalal Al-Din Al-Rumi who made a journey across North Africa and the Mediterranean to Turkey. This collection was created by Richard Koraichi who drew them and then they were transferred to cotton laid over silk and embroidered with gold thread by Moroccan artists. Although you can't particularly see in this picture, the great detail in the embroidery truly is outstanding, I think the contrast of the gold on the dark makes it what it is and the story is captured.

The British Museum - Living and Dying Exhibition

Our group was taken around the exhibition by Dr. Clare Rose. The Living and Dying exhibition is based around how different cultures fight to maintain their well being and their health. 

This replica (1902) parka would have been owned by an Igloolic Shaman, who are men and woman who had the ability to communicate with animals, personified forces of disease or the weather. Shamans are important because they hold the power that ensures animals continue to give themselves to the hunters. Without the Shaman communities are open to disease and starvation. 

Gut parkers are usually made out of the intestines of sea mammals such as sea lions and seals, they were used because they were waterproof, warm and light, the Shamans wore them during their rituals because of their powerful connections with the animals. The craftsmanship in the gut parkas is amazing, everything about them is fascinating such as their great usefulness to the opaqueness of the material which is beautiful in its own right.

Cradle to Grave by Pharmacopoeia.

Cradle to Grave was created by the textile designer Susie Freeman, the video artist David Critchley and Dr. Liz Lee, a GP. The concept tells the medical stories of a female and a male. The two lengths of fabric each hold over 14000 drugs which is the average that each person in Britain is prescribed in their life time. Looking at both of the lengths of tablets and reading about what they were both taking them for made me feel really quite emotional looking at someones whole life in such a form. This was my favourite piece from the exhibition because I found the feeling of personal connection and relation to the people, there were even pictures of them as they grew up and old around the outside of the pill incrusted fabric.

Eagle and Camera Coffins.

The Ga people of Ghana are well known for introducing a new tradition of beautifully carved and figurative coffins. The story says that in 1951 two brothers whom were carpenters created a coffin for their grandmother, shaped like an aeroplane because she had always dreamed of flying but had never had the chance to, after the news spread people wanted them for their families and relatives too and therefore their business was done. To me, these coffins give no air of mourning or sadness but instead give a sense that death isn't to be feared or thought of in a negative light.

Silk wall-hanging - Patna, Bihar, northeast India 2002

The wall hanging was made by a group of woman from a village in India, it expresses their social and personal concerns. This piece covers the different way's AIDS is transmitted through blood transfusions, infected needles, unprotected sex and from mother to child, it also shows women distributing condoms as a means of prevention.