Conservation Issues
38cm x 32cm x 29cm

Description
Wooden sewing box lined with dusty-pink synthetic fur fabric. Two compartments on inner lid, dark brown fun fur needle pad. Raw sheep fleece, hand-knitted toy sheep (found object).

Oval shaped chocolate box (32cm x 19cm x 3cm) with lid covered in dusty pink velvety fabric. Lid lined with tiny white and pink fabric flowers, box lined with sheepskin, a remnant of a coat my mother had made for her in the 1940s. Box filled with mothballs stitched into pale and fragile fabrics, like wilting flower buds.

Themes, Comments and Storylines

"Once upon a time there was a shepherd who herded his sheep in a lonesome area. Suddenly a brand new Jeep Cherokee appeared with a big cloud of dust and stopped right next to him.

The driver, a young man dressed in a Brioni suit, Cerutti shoes, Ray Ban sun glases and a tie by YSL got off the car and asked him:
'If I can guess how many sheep you have, will I get one then?'

The shepherd looks at the young man, then at his peacefully grazing sheep and calmly says: 'All right'.

The young man parks the Jeep, connects his notebook with his mobile, goes on the NASA-website, scans the area via GPS satellite navigation system, opens a database and 60 excel schedules with a vast number of formulas.
Finally he prints a 150-sided report on his Hi-Tech mini printer, turns around and says: 'You have exactly 1,586 sheep over here.'

The shepherd says: 'That´s right, go and choose a sheep.'
The young man takes a sheep and puts it into his Jeep.

The shepherd watches him and says: 'If I can guess your profession will you give me back my sheep?'
The young man answers: 'Yes sure, why not.'

The shepherd says: 'You are a management consultant.'
'That´s right, why do you know?' the young man wants to know.

'Very simple," the shepherd says, 'first of all, you come here although nobody called you. Secondly you want to have a sheep as payment for something you tell me, what I already know and, thirdly, you have no idea of what I am doing here! – And now give me back my dog!!'"

http://www.schafpate.de, retrieved 18 November 2008

more sheep stories in German

Feedback

What kick started me into it was coming across this textile related blog, where artist Solveigh Goett posts her 'on-line card index' of small textile pieces with brilliantly chosen relevant text. It is engrossing and thought provoking, especially to someone like me who has lots of vintage haberdashery - I mentioned my inherited stashes in my previous post. I have to confess that I particularly enjoyed 'A sheep story' - [scroll down to November 18th] which is rather lighter than some other items.

http://cheshirecheese.blogspot.com/

9.12.2008


“It feels as if it can't have been my first memory because I was with a stranger. A young lady from 'downstairs' sat in the other corner of a red sofa. She was my babysitter and I was aware of having to make conversation. It was embarrassing. I wriggled among the sofa cushions and found a mothball. The young lady explained they were for killing moths. I assumed that you throw these balls at moths. I expect that I remember it because of a related scene that must have followed soon after that. My mother's hysterical haste to get me ready and carry me downstairs into the cellar of the building. To my astonishment there were already lots of people, all just standing around. They all laughed when I asked if they all had come to escape the moths. I suppose I rehearse this because no one told me what is what. And I wonder whether this was useful, leaving me with a creative need or whether it is always better to tell a child as much of the truth as the child is willing to hear.”

BBC Radio 4 Memory Experience