Non verbis sed rebus

45cm x 22cm x 21 cm

 

Description

Three tier wooden sewing box

 

Top layer from left to right:

Wooden cross reel with white yarn, cedar wood cubes, lace bobbins, cotton reels, wooden letter printing blocks (‘non verbis’), wooden buttons,  Indian wooden printing blocks, wooden darning mushrooms, wooden comb (‘from Siberia with love’)

 

Middle layer

Left: wooden letter printing blocks (‘sed’), carding brushes

Right: wooden clothes pegs (including a handmade & a miniature one), cedar wood cubes

 

Bottom layer:

‘With care’ (16cm x 10cm x 7cm), small dark brown box with rusty needles on cloth.

Wooden letter printing blocks (‘rebus’)

 

Themes, Comments and Storylines

 

It is through things not words that we experience and learn, language always lags behind. Yet it is through language that we articulate even what is essentially and always beyond words.

 

The solidity of tools and traditions. Printing blocks, carding combs. Textile matters extending beyond the cloth. A faint scent of cedar wood keeping unwanted life at bay.

 

The dangers of sewing and knitting.

 

“J MacD: Sewing and knitting tends to be associated with the home and therefore with ideas of safety and security, yet statistics suggest that it is a high risk area in terms of safety.

 

DN: Yes, and everyone considers sewing and knitting to be such a passive activity. It has been really interesting to talk to people; as soon as I mention the title for this exhibition everyone laughs straight away and often tell me a story relating to a sewing or knitting needle or something that happened to their Granny. Because sewing and knitting are thought to be staid, traditional and done at home there are many possible connections to be made. The dangers associated with textile factories and mass production have been well documented, but there are plenty of unknown tales of people encountering dangers at home.”

 

Deirdre Nelson in conversation with Juliette Macdonald

Nelson, Deirdre (2005), The Dangers of Sewing and Knitting, Exhibition Catalogue, Crawford Arts, St Andrews

 

 

My grandmother used to pin her sewing needle on to her apron when her needlework was interrupted. Much later when she was in hospital having an x-ray examination, a sewing needle was discovered inside her body. It had penetrated her skin without her noticing, but luckily got stuck before reaching any vital organs and causing damage. My mother told me this as a cautionary tale.