Unwinds a thread of his devising:

A thin, premeditated rig

To use in rising

And all the journey down through space,

In cool descent, and loyal-hearted,

He builds a ladder to the place

From which he started

This I, gone forth, as spiders do,

In spider’s web a truth discerning,

Attach one silken stand to you

For my returning

‘Natural History’ E.B. White

#19thamendment #nineteenthamendment #womensvote #suffrage 

#suffragette#girlband #insolidarity #hervote #herloom

“Work at CAST generally begins with relatively small physical models made with “analog” materials (plaster to model concrete, paper or plastic sheets to model sheet metal, etc,). These models allow us to play with combinations of materials, tools, and processes, and to think about how the forms and ideas found might be extended to full-scale design and construction. This method relies on the “intelligence” of the materials themselves for clues to the architectural potential they may hold.”   C.A.S.T. website

His vivid descriptions of beginning with small scale models parallel our initial work of creating samples which does allow ‘the intelligence of the fabric’ to guide us in design and construction of garments.

Halston understood this innate intelligence saying, “The fabric will teach you, the fabric tells you what it wants to do.’

You just have to pay attention.

More about Mark West’s work:

http://unit03-metamorphosis.blogspot.com/2013/01/mark-west-cast.html

Architect, Oscar Niemeyer, said,  “My work is not about ‘form follows function,’ but ‘form follows beauty’ or, even better, ‘form follows feminine.’ ”

What is feminine? Traditionally delicate, fragile, and dainty are adjectives associated with femininity. What does it have to do with architecture or anything else? The irony of femininity is that it is strong and powerful. But to unleash its subtle power, you must embrace it.

Niemeyer buildings show this feminine force through their grace and curve. Please follow attached link to see his work: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/9727010/Oscar-Niemeyer-buildings-around-the-world.html?frame=2420160

My research also yielded an exceptional cameo source: Amedeo Scognamiglio, who currently heads his family firm in Torre Del Greco and Amedeo their retail store in NYC, breaths new life into the ancient art. See www.amedeoscognamiglio.com and www.cameos.com

When I first started HERLOOM, I sent my friends this painting joking that Penelope didn’t look as excited about HER LOOM as I was.

What I did not share was the significance of the work. The subject is Penelope, wife of Odysseus, the main character in the ancient Greek epic poem The Odyssey by Homer. It took Odysseus 10 years to return home from the 10 year Trojan War. Most were convinced that he was not going to return and thought Penelope should remarry. She had many suitors. But she loved Odysseus and did not want to marry anyone else. So she bought herself some time by claiming she would marry when she was done weaving the cloth for her father-in-law’s burial shroud. Unbeknownst to everyone, at night she would unravel the cloth that she weaved that day. She made very little progress and succeeded in staying single until her husband came home.

Many works of art have portrayed Penelope at HER LOOM. By far my favorite (partly because of the priceless expression) is this one painted in 1764 by Angelica Kauffman, a noted portraitist, founding member of the Royal Academy of Arts and strong woman like her subject Penelope.  Some day if your travels take you to The Royal Pavilion, Libraries and Museums in Brighton, England, you can view the real painting.