Tag Archives: artists books

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Lace Language

My story begins a long way from bookmaking.  I was asked if I could help rescue a piece of bobbin lace. A local museum had been donated an 80-year-old bobbin lace pillow with lace and pattern attached.  Something had happened to it over recent years and the threads had become tangled. Bobbin lace is made by twisting threads around pins placed on a pattern on the pillow. Each thread is attached to a bobbin. Each area or type of lace has different bobbins. Some carved out of bone, some bone with beads called spangles attached to add a little weight and some as in this case smooth wooden bulbs. On inspection I found that I could work the pattern in reverse, untwisting the tangle as I went. I had not used this type of bobbin before and as I worked, the bobbins clack- clacked to an interesting rhythm and my mind wandered back to nineteenth century lacemakers using these bobbins all day and into the evening using a candle and a sphere of water to enhance the light. Many suffered from failing sight, even Rainer Maria Rilke wrote a poem about their plight.

…Is it inhuman that two eyes were honed

down to this lace, this small, tight bit of lace —

two eyes you might wish once more to possess?

Lacemaker long since gone (and finally blind):

did you infuse this thing with your devotion; …

Rilke, R., & Schoolfield, G. (2015). The Lace. In L. Krisak (Trans.), New Poems (pp. 79-80). Boydell & Brewer.

Is this what happened to the lacemaker of this piece? Was it lack of dexterity at the onset of old age or lack of sight through lacemaking that caused the tangles? We will never know but her work in all its glory can be seen in the local museum know.

I decided to write a prose poem about the lace language:

 “Lace language is alive when threads are woven by the strange power of the hands, dancing bobbins thrown out, the clack, clack of bobbins on the return, threads woven with ease, creating patterns, old and new. Through a continuous conversation a pattern is achieved, threads warping, twisting, crossing and finally pinned when pairs of threads agree. The lacemaker’s fingers work rapidly with the smooth warm wooden bulbs, spinning a yarn, the rhythm of her sentences repeating. Her eyes follow the conversation, and correct the language instantly where needed, until the dancing is finished, the eyes are tired from the strain of the candle lit globe and the pillow welcomes her head, only the interlaced threads show the passing of time so the delicate fine web, open to the air can be preserved for the next generation. The lace language’s beauty is wrapped in blue tissue to come alive when used repeatedly around the throats and hands of kings. Preserving the tradition and continuing the conversation.”

So began a series of books and prints about lace. All can be seen on my web site   https://www.hunterbooks.co.uk/lace-tells.htm  but the letterpress printed book you can see at the Buckinghamshire craft guild shop.

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Completing Turn End Herbarium

Most monasteries in Medieval times had a physic and herb garden that an apothecary used for making medicines for the local population and the monks.

With the research of herbal remedies and plant-based medicines upper most in my mind I was able to visit the following monasteries during the next couple of years.

In East Sussex, Michelham, https://www.gardenvisit.com/gardens/michelham_priory_garden an Augustinian priory was founded in 1229 and has one of the earliest physic and herb gardens in UK. A replica garden has been built on the site by Sussex Garden Society.

Abbey Lagrasse in South West France was elevated to Abbey status in 779 and it is still a Benedictine monastery with a physic and garden open to the public. https://www.beyond.fr/picssite/lagrasse-abbey0042b.jpg. It was here that I saw some of the oldest herb varieties being grown including a cannabis and sage plants.

Lagrasse Abbey

The pressed flowers were ready, I had researched the medicinal properties for each, I had experimented with printing from the relevant leaves, I had drawings of each flower and I had written a poem for each

For example

Hydrangea

white climbing lace cap heads

turn gradually to rusty pink.

Other colours determined by the soil

but all extracts reduce fever.

But how to present these various elements still alluded me. The problem was that I wanted to update the method presentation of the plants.

Another coincident happened, an article about Michael Holroyd’s Grandmother and her fern collection, later a book called “Ancestors in the Attic”, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ancestors-Attic-Including-Great-Grandmothers-Silent/dp/1910258849  whose sewn ferns were so artistically placed and named. How could I place the plants in my herbarium artistically and safe from handling? This was to be my next area to experiment.

Books can take a long time to germinate and can often be put in store until something suddenly arises that can take it forward again.

On a visit to Wiltshire and on finding a wonderful junk shop that specializes in vintage and antique boxes; I found that something. A two-compartment box.

The presentation was sorted. The closed box has a textured finished panel attached. The bottom compartment housed a traditional herbarium and the top compartment my modern interpretation. Job done.

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Turn End Herbarium

My interest in the use of plants in medicine had been heightened by my exhibition in University of Oxford Botanic Gardens so when I returned to my studio I began to wonder if  there were any plants in Turn End Gardens that could be used for medicinal purposes.

Although I now know that there are commercial uses for some plants my interest was in how they were used in times gone by.

My most trusty reference book became Mrs. Grieves “Modern Herbal “ written in 1931 https://botanical.com/ mainly because it is categorised by Common name which meant that I could remember seeing some of the plants in my childhood and at that time when asking the name Latin did not come to the mind of my parents.

Yes, I found several plants in Turn End Gardens that Mrs Grieves recommended and I could pick some to press and print for my own T. E. Herbarium.

Hydrangea plant
Turn End Herbarium
  • Turn End Herbarium Close up of page

I am always amazed how coincidences happen when I am researching for a book. Is it that I am only seeing relevant links? Possible interesting talks or articles and exhibitions on the subject. I will never know but it has happened more than once so always keep your eyes and ears open to all influences.

The first of these coincidences happened at the Buckinghamshire County Museum. The Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society holds talks once a month at lunchtime at the Museum https://bas1.org.uk/lectures-and-talks  Given by experts in all different fields. At the time of my research they had a talk from the keeper of an herbarium with examples. Although the talk was a bit too academic for me it was the examples that were wonderful to see. How the 19th century collectors mounted their specimens. Each had a label of where, when and Date found.

Antique Herbarium Sheet

Sticky tape and sewing seemed to be the prevalent method. I would have to give my book more time.

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Plants and Medicine

It started with ‘Garden Secrets’, an exhibition I was involved in at the University of Oxford Botanic Gardens in 2012.

Hegamone’s Remedies

A group of artists including myself were asked to show some site-specific work at the Gardens. I had already made some artists books using Turn End Gardens as inspiration so to wander around another garden tempted me.

 The visit took place in the winter before the London Olympics 2012 and some of the major beds were laid out with the meadow seeds as a trial for the Olympic park.  The master plan for the park was developed by a consortium together with Professors James Hitchmough and Nigel Dunnett.

James and Nigel  said “it was to be a demonstration of a whole new approach to the design and management of public landscapes: where ecology and sustainability is at the forefront, combined with a very strong aesthetic.”

Olympic Park Meadows
meadows as developed by James and Nigel

Although there were no flowers at that time of the year the plants looked strong and as the picture shows the outcome was spectacular.

 But the most interesting part of the gardens to me was the medical plant area in the Walled garden.  Very traditionally laid out in the same format as when they were first laid in 1621 as a physic garden for the medical students at the University.

Walled garden, Oxford Botanic Gardens

 Dr Alison Foster  https://thegardeningchemist.wordpress.com/about/ says in her book “This new medicinal quarter brings together a collection of plants that are central to conventional western medicine in the 21st century, plants are nature’s version of a chemical factory. As such they contain many different natural products, which may have interesting and useful medicinal properties”. The Medicinal Plant Collection at the University of Oxford Botanic Garden 2010

There are arguments that it is were the plants are grown that is important to the chemicals produced not just the plants and seeds themselves. Even if the plants are only grown for the seed bank storage this means they will be available to grow in the future and the plants will not be over collected. Dr Foster commented that the WHO reports that up to 80% of the world’s population relies on plants directly for some aspect of primary health care.

Several things came together in my mind and I made 4 prints on my hand-made paper and four small books about the medical properties of plants, included in each was a dried example of the plant seed.  

‘Hegamone’s Remedies’ by Heather Hunter