Combination

CASSAVA is a combination of previously shown installations, some recent paintings and two works specifically fabricated for the show. Inspired by my daughter Esther’s recent visit to South Africa to see her father and the year of the world cup the making of the South African flag and some thought provoking text seems to contextualise the show within the space.

HLM Costume shown in ‘Three’ at Picture This 2007 and in ‘Voices’ at the Bristol Museum Gallery in 2008 and Cassava – Clothing Art Saying Something and Valuing Alternatives shown in ‘Craftivism’ at the Arnolfini earlier this year, seem to complement each other as textiles pieces with a backdrop of the Nigerian flag.

South African Flag

The Republic’s flag is ethnic in design and concept and heralds an era of optimism, progress and peace for all its varied race groups

C: Considering Cooperatively, Communally, Collectively, Collaboratively
A: Alternatively Assimilate, Absorb, Adapt, adjust
S: SUPPOSING Systematically, Symptomatically, Suggest, suppose
S: SOUTH Africa, South Africa, Africa, South Africa
A: AFRICA South Africa, Africa, South Africa, Africa
V: VALUED Values, Varied, Vulnerable
A: ALL, altogether

C: Cooperatively Communally, Collectively, Collaboratively
A: Assimilate Absorb, Adapt, adjust
S: Systematically Symptomatically, Suggest, suppose
S: SOUTH Africa, South Africa, Africa, South Africa
A: AFRICA South Africa, Africa, South Africa, Africa
V: Varied Values, Varied, Vulnerable
A: Abundance, altogether, alternatives, abundance

May - June

CASSAVA thrives better in poor soils than any other major food plant. As a result fertilizer is rarely necessary. CASSAVA is a heat-loving plant that requires minimum temperature of 80 degrees F to grow. Around the world CASSAVA is a vital staple for about 5000 million people the third largest sauce of carbohydrates for human consumption in the world.

Clothing art saying something and valuing alternatives

Yoruba indigo-dyed cloth: Adire eleko is popular hand-dyed cloth among the Yoruba peoples, who live in Nigeria and the adjoining Republic of Benin in West Africa. Indigo-plant dye creates the characteristic blue color, which is most often applied to white factory-made cloth. Patterns are created by painting or stenciling starch, usually made from cassava flour, onto the cloth before dyeing. Starched areas resist the dye, taking on a lighter hue than the unstarched parts, which readily absorb the indigo.

Gari is a creamy-white, granular flour with a slightly fermented flavor and a slightly sour taste made from fermented, gelatinized fresh cassava tubers. Gari is widely known in Nigeria and other West African countries.

CASSAVA

New show coming up combining previous shows with additional flag works. Took me all week to complete a 2x3mt South African flag and a smaller Nigerian flag on 2 separate 2x6mt stretches of calico to show in Rich Mix mezzanine.

CASSAVA Exhibition text

6th May - 6th June

UK born artist Gloria Ojulari Sule brings her multi-media installation to Rich Mix encompassing video, costume, painting and drawing. As a British woman of dual heritage she addresses a number of themes and aims to dispel sterotypes with her work. A srong sense of cultural identity is achieved through her individual work as well as through a number of project collaborations.

Craftivism- CASSAVA

http://craftivism.net/wiki/About_craftivism

Main Costume. 3 in 1 Egúngún, which can be translated as 'powers concealed' is an annual or biennial masquerade festival held by Yoruba-speaking people in Nigeria. It takes the form of masked and costumed performers moving among the crowd, through the streets.

An Egúngún masker represents, honours and invokes an ancestor. Concealed by his layered cloth costume, the performer energetically spins the ancestor into being through freeform dance.

The main costume combines Dutch wax prints, traditional West African produced batiks and tie dye with mass-market clothing fragments. The piece makes references to global issues of environmental damage, exploitation of labour in the clothing industries and migrant populations.

Gelede Masquerade

'Oju to ba fi ri Gelede ti de opin iron. The eyes that have seen Gelede have seen the ultimate spectacle'.

Gelede Encounter mixed media on board

The idea of Gelede Masquerade has fascinated me since I was at art school in Norwich when I made my first piece of work on the subject.  The costume made up of many fabrics especially blended together to obtain a special look pleasing to the eye the contrasting colours and patterns within the fabrics creating movement before the movement commences that is what I see in it.  I have worked with printed fabrics ever since.  Sometimes combining with painterly surfaces and more lately working towards an idea of assemblages for installation.   Gelede, the masquerade performances of ancestral spirits, provides an outlet in which men play a major role (Drewal 2). This celebration is associated with a deified founding foremother, either earth or water along with a forefather (Drewal 7). The Gelede honors and serves spiritually powerful women-elders, ancestors, and deities (Drewal 9). 

The Vortex of Trash

Open studio went well most popular was the experience of entering into The Vortex of Trash, the prototype being just right for children but a little too small for adults.  Once inside the suspended artwork is spun round enabling the trash materials to run past the eyes and around the body of the participant.  Plan to make a larger improved version.  Emilia, checks out the tops, while Esther and I peer on.

My studio space was entirely inter-active over the w/e with visitors delighted to read the note inviting them to touch.  Thanks to Isabel, Jacob,on left Ruben on right and Jachary above in the vortex above.

Open Studio

I have been preparing my space for Open Studios this coming May bank Holiday.  The installation on show will be of work in progress as I intend to continue with the project for a few months to complete a year with plastic waste as a medium.  Thanks to all the eco conscious good people who have been collecting for me I still have a good supply of bottle tops and of course there will never be a shortage.  I will also show drawings and paintings and other ideas for future work its all experimental by also becoming quite obsessive.

You are invited to: 

Albatross and Yemaja in the Polluted Oceans  Open Studio 83, Spike Island, BS1 6UX 1^st– 4^th May. Artworks, cards and reproductions available 

Yemaya

mixed media on canvas with plastic debris hanging

Yemaya, could be getting a little distraught at the sight of all the pollution of her oceans.  This work is on the subject of her interventions as she serves in her role as the Orisha goddess of oceans and rivers.  Yemaya is the mother of all the little fishes and right now it seems that there is and invasion of debris floating around and its increasing by the day.  What is the world doing about it?  She is getting vexed and attempting to protect the wildlife for future generations.

Pity the Poor Albatross

The Albatross project continues.  Many thanks to all those who eagerly collected bottle tops, and would still be if I didn't put a holt to it.  I have several bucket loads now, preserved and saved from pollution the environment, ready to evolve into artworks with a message.

End of good year

It's been a great year with lots of interesting projects to keep my creative juices flowing.  The completion of the Picture This moving image work and the subsequent exhibitions 'Three' and 'Voices' lead me to seek new opportunities for showing the work in the new year.

     The installation showing a snippet of the film.

Voices Exhibition

Jane Taylor-Bouvard Conserver Bristol Museum preparing manniquin for costume installation at  for Voices exhibition 13th September to 16th November 2008. 

The installation consists of HLM Costume projection showing Habit Libertaire Model, Dakar Taylors and Dakar Building, on a looped dvd with the costume on manniquin in space.

Albatross

'Albatross' is a new work that is inspired by many of the recent artworks by Ghanaian Artist El Anatsui.  Many or his works utilizes found objects, including metal bottle tops to create huge a artworks that harbour new meanings referencing cultural traditions.  'Albatross' highlights the plight of the bird as its colonies continue to be depleted by the build up of non-biodegradable plastic waste materials.  My piece comments on environmental issues locally and globally through the use of recycled plastic bottles tops with which I am making a huge hanging that replicates El Anatsui's works in scale and hopefully splendor.  

'Society Woman Cloth' 

Here it is possible to see the detail and the richness of the work.

My work also makes use of other domestic waste items including net from supermarket fruits and different cartons cut into small pieces.  I admit I have a long way to go to emulate the works of El Anatsui but I have made a start.  I appreciate the help I am receiving in collecting bottles top which makes this a participatory project and move along at a regular pace in terms of when I can get to the studio and get on with it.  I aim to have something to show by the Spike Open studios in May 2009. 

New Moves

Finally the 'HLM Costume' is launched in Picture This moving image exhibition 'Three' with two other artists. The show puts together three very different artists making use of moving image in different ways that compliment there ways of working.  It's a great feeling and confirms just how perseverance prevails where a positive vision exists. Dakar Building (pictured) HLM Costume and Dakar Taylors on DVD loop, are my triple screne works.

Exhibition text: Gloria Ojulari Sule travelled to the Dak'Art Biennale in 2006 ; this trip was an important journey for Ojulari Sule as an artist trying to locate her own practice within national and global contemporary art networks.

 

In Dakar Ojulari Sule became fascinated with the traditional African costume as an art form itself. Intrigued and inspired by the special qualities and pride revealed by the wearer of Senegalese dress and interpreting this pride as personification of true cultural identity Ojulari Sule embarked on a mission to engage in the everyday activity of having a traditional costume made. Filmed in Dakar and Bristol HLM Costume documents an experience of a woman following her vision to immerse herself in the local culture and engage with the city as someone on a home coming.

Picture This, Mardyke Ferry Road, Bristol BS1 6UU 15 March - 19 April 2008

Picture This

I am so pleased to have been select for the Picture This ‘Small Wonders’ scheme, I now know I was one of two selected from 50 submissions, so feel honoured. I am with the help of the scheme beginning to piece together ideas for the moving image project that will eventually thrust my practice forward into new realms. Working with the recorded footage on Dak’Art 2006 and HLM Costume, the aim will be to produce a work that explores my personal journey as a woman of a Black British mixed heritage in search of a sense of belonging, seeking to verify my cultural identity as a West African woman. As well exploring notions of cultural identity I hope to throw up fresh alternative ways to present a visual dialogue around the subject matter of my practice through personal engagement with the new location of urban Dakar.

As a British born I have felt distanced from an early age from positive references to my African heritage and seem destine to repeatedly return to those childhood anxieties around racial position and loss. This moving image project will cover a lot but through a greater understanding of the genre

I hope to achieve a work that weaves together, both cultural and physical, cinematic and architectural references through the rich imagery of urban Dakar, to bring together encounters between, local and global cultures, where the ghosts of history linger amid the realities of the day. My vision is for a passionate visual presentation that enlightens, enriches and puzzles in the way that a puzzle will still be a puzzle once completed.

Up date

'Dressed Up' acrylic painting with HLM Costume fabric


Can't belive it but it is actually December. It has been a while but at least not an inactive time. The good news is that AffirmARTive for LAFTA Looked After Fostered and Transracially Adopted, our participatory art project has been up and running for some time now and the group want to continue and to an outcome of touring exhibition with workshops.

Next good thing, I have gained support for Picture This ‘Small Wonders’ Scheme www.picture-this.org.uk for postproduction support to develop Dak’Art footage this means I can have a quality outcome of the work and support with distribution. So, all fantastic so far.

Afo Juba, Irin Ajo

Images from footage of HLM Costume shot by Maryam Fall. My film on the art in creating a Taylor-made costume in Dakar.
At the Market and Final Outcome

Looking back on the Afo Juba, Personal Experience of my trip I still feel envibed, oh is that a word, well that's the feeling so all good the Journey, Irin ajo, introduced me to many that I am keeping in touch with and plans go one to develop the schools link I worked with Hannah More School on my return and we based our project 'Art for Living' around the Dakar documentation that I returned with and edited especially for the schools works. The pupils made fantastic work and the school is keen to be linked with the Ecole HLM in Dakar so am on the plot for that. Also communicating with Maryjam regarding the HLM costume film and with Adama Boye artist at Village des Arts on artist exchange. At the Bristol end it feels different and more difficult to move things on but I am persevering with finding the best way to develop movie and get it seen. Have given three presentation the final on a great success at the A Bond with Spike Island this received a good response with about 35 people attending.
L

A month on AffirmArtive news

My last day in Dakar remebered in these two pics I spent the day with Amada. Pictured at 'Village des Art's' People seen by the road waiting for the President to pass, see on our way around the north coastal area visiting OFF exhibitions.
The project for Bristol will now take place having having received affirmartive on the funding for LAFTA workshops. These will take place overthe summer at the St Paul's Learning centre. The I miss Dakar but continue to work on developing projects for the future. Have been in studio making work in relation to 'The HLM Costume' and editing film and R & D documention.

Film project

Today has been such a success Miryam has taken me to the HLM Maché where I chose my fabric for my tigh costume. Miryam was great with the camera even arguing with the occassional reluctant participant who wanted money for being o camera. The best bit was up in the area where hundreds of sewing machines vibrated with the taylors flashing fabrics of every colour and design through the thrashig neddle poit, some costumes where made of beautiful collaborations of textiles, I spent time looking this way ad that truly amazed at all I saw, evetually we left my fabric with a taylor after Miryam filmed him measuring me up and drawing out the pattern to my own design and we then went eat at Miryams boyfriends mums seven of us ate from one large platter. Later we returned to the tatlor to collect my most delightful costume ever. Much of this trip has evolved by one special meeting leading to another and this collaboritve project is the result of such an experience.........WoW yes in Wolof. Last evening I saw a large cockroch in the cupboardad could sleep thinking it may land o my chest in the night thought provoced from reading 26a, a great read to end the long dazzzzzzzzzzzzz

Village des Arts

This is pic of one of the many gardens at the the studios and Adama by her work Must go now as more to do laters
I have just returned from visiting the village des arts and visiting many studios of the 48 artists based there plus had good lunch of local fish yum yum. I met with Adama we want to try and make a project linking women artists, also another project whereby we can exchange I would love to work in a studio there as mango trees and gardens are all around and the atmosphere tres tranquil, and the doors open to fresh air and bird song........ perfect. We Adama and I have the same expereince of working in the community we both work a lot with schools and we will try and link one of the schools where she works with a Bristol school and do a project. I also visitied the British Council here in Dakar and talk about the 2007 projects they have whih would connect well with the Abolution of TransAtlantic Slave Trade events in UK 2007