Murmuration starling.....Yonat Michaelov
[All images by Yonat Michaelov]
Tapestry is the latest development in my relationships with textile art. I started weaving and spinning almost 30 years ago when my kids were young and I needed something I could do while at home. I fell in love with weaving and spinning, and I was mostly weaving blankets and shawls, twills, summer/winter, overshot. I got myself floor looms and spinning wheels….. and from there to Navajo rugs and wedge weave (I never thought of it as tapestry). Then, I went into backstrap and inkle loom weaving, with inlay and double weaves. I took a long detour into the twining technique of Raven’s tail and Chilkat, Maori twining work and Sprang. I stayed away from tapestry because I thought you needed some art education for that. 15 years after I started weaving, I enrolled in adult school for visual arts, and for four years just took every class they offered: botanical drawing, pastels, figure drawing etc. At that point, dyeing got into the picture. Then, I started to venture into tapestry and I have been playing with tapestry for the last seven years.
I love birds, and after the Waterline project I had some confidence that I could join another collaborative work, I don’t think any of us knew what to expect, it ended up being more challenging and still is. I was curious, and that is when I usually jump in, so I did.
The inspiration for my Murmuration tapestry has been the shape of my piece. I live by the ocean, and I see a big sky, so my entire piece is in the sky, adorned with some flying geese, which I see daily.
The delights of Murmuration have been seeing the gang every so often, and discussing, struggling and supporting each other. Also, seeing how we all had different ideas and concepts, and how we have learned and expanded while working towards one goal.
The difficulties for me have been the compromise that comes with collaboration. The colors were chosen, so was the shape. It felt as if it took forever to move forward an idea through the group. However, knowing that I am part of that great project definitely helped.
Looking forwards, my hopes and aspirations for Murmuration are that it becomes a unique collaborative work that brings the magic of the wild world into the art galleries, and maybe increases public awareness and love for nature, and hopefully also makes us work together to help preserve it.
