Mind and Body: up close and personal
Helen MacRitchie
25 Oct – 19 Nov 2024
Gallery76, Embroiderers’ Guild NSW
Lifting the Spirit (40 x 40cm unframed, 44 x 44cm framed) merino wool, silk, plastic, coloured pencils, linen thread
The Doctrine of Signatures was a medieval concept that believed the key to humanity’s medicinal use of plants was indicated by the form or colour of the plant. St John’s Wort was, and is, taken to alleviate the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). It has yellow flowers like the sun, grows best in warm sunny conditions and has tiny perforations on the leaf’s surface that glow with light when held up to the sun.
Lifting the Spirit is a study of the effects of St John’s Wort, worked in yellow, an interweaving of items that personally bring me joy. It includes felting, art, textiles, the exchanging of gifts, and home in Sydney glimpsed in the flower petals.
The creation of a mesh displays the basic warp and weft structure of textiles and gives depth to the work physically and metaphorically.
Gaseous Exchange 150 x 75cm merino wool, jute hessian, wool embroidery thread
This hanging is inspired by micrographs of the interior of the human lung. The alveoli of the lungs are the site of gaseous exchange, where oxygen enters the blood and carbon dioxide is removed. Alveolar walls are extremely thin and fragile to allow for oxygen to diffuse into the enclosing blood vessels. They resemble bulbous sacs in a honeycomb structure to maximise surface area.
The use of jute hessian connects with its manufacturing industry centred near my hometown in Scotland and its association with respiratory problems in those working on the factory floor.
Searching for a Way through (100 x 90cm) hawthorn dyed wool yarn, cotton embroidery thread
This work is inspired by a microscopic image, cut through a human artery that is showing atherosclerosis (blockage due to fatty deposits). It is worked in wool yarn that has been naturally dyed with hawthorn (leaves and twigs). Hawthorn was used traditionally as an old tonic for angina and congestive heart failure (dropsy) as it relaxed blood vessels and lowered blood pressure. The vasodilatation effect is due to a component in hawthorn called proanthocyanidin, a pigment found in many red berries.
The complete hanging is created by free knotting the hawthorn yarn, modifying the natural dye colour to grey and distorting areas to denote artery damage. Over 800 machine cords depict the remaining area free to blood flow in the artery.
Connecting the dots (180 x 60 x 30cm) felted wool yarn, wire
This is an abstract representation of the human lymph node system. Each coloured node denotes a different area of lymph nodes.
The lymphatic system collects excess fluid from the body's tissues and returns it to the bloodstream. It filters out waste products and abnormal cells from this fluid.
Sentinel node mapping (90 x 55cm) merino wool, light reflective fabric and thread, wool yarn
This piece depicts the lymph nodal system found in the neck. It is of concern when cancerous cells are suspected and require treatment. A sentinel lymph node is the first lymph node that cancer cells are most likely to spread to from a primary tumour. Finding and attacking this node leads to the most successful treatment of the disease. The procedure involves injecting a radioactive substance, a blue dye, to find the node.
The search for this node is represented in the work by using light reflective fabric and thread in particular ‘nodes’. A pathway is highlighted when a light is shone on the work.
Elusive (30 x 30 x 30cm excluding tendrils) merino wool, light reflective fabric, wool yarn
A companion piece to Sentinel Node Mapping, Elusive is a matryoshka of closed felted vessels with a light reflective central core. Matryoshkas depict the protection of motherhood and are traditionally symbols of good health and the continuation of life.
Purkinje cells I and II (40 x 40cm) corriedale and merino wool, wool and cotton yarn
Purkinje cells in the brain regulate and coordinate motor movements. These pieces are inspired by scanning electron micrographs (SEMs) of these cells which can be colour modified and display evidence of connecting neurones.
Flow I and II
Ileum Folds I and II
Villi orange, Villi pink and Villi turquoise
Secretions
Inner Surface
Epithelium yellow and Epithelium pink
Goblets blue and Goblets orange
Gastric villi
These 20cm framed squares of machine embroidery on felted wool are abstract representations of coloured micrographs of cells found in the oesophagous and small intestine.
Islets large (100 x 76cm)
Islets small (78 x 36cm) merino wool, silk mesh
The pancreas is an organ which helps us digest food by creating enzymes and releasing hormones (insulin and glucagon) to control blood sugar levels. This work is inspired by the Islets of Langerhans – a clump of circular cells that releases these hormones.
Neural network (150 x 68cm) jute hessian, wool and cotton thread
Neurons are responsible for passing information around the central nervous system (CNS) and from the CNS to the rest of the body. Each nerve cell comprises a body surrounded by numerous extensions called dendrites. Dendrites collect information from other nerve cells or from sensory cells.
Neurons (sculpture) approx. 100 x 35 x 45cm (l x w x h) wool yarn, foam
Each neuron consists of a cell body with dendrites, and an axon which passes information to other nerve cells. The axon appears banded as it is surrounded by a myelin sheath in places to insulate it and allow for signals to be transmitted more quickly.
Histology slide I, II and III (each 20 x 60cm) merino wool, silk, wool and cotton yarn, all dyed naturally with logwood extract
These 3 are inspired by histological slides of goblet cells stained purple and pink with haematoxylin and eosin. These are cells in the intestine that serve as the primary site for nutrient digestion and mucosal absorption.
Haematoxylin is found in logwood extract from Brazil and this extract is used here in the natural dyeing of silk and wool.
Psychedelic Visions (120 x 90cm) merino wool, concrete resin, cotton yarn, jute yarn
One of the oldest surgical procedures known to man is trepanation – the boring of holes into skulls of the living. Skulls in South America have been found with 1cm holes in them showing signs of healing – in other words the patients lived to tell the tale. Reasons for this surgery remain unclear but it may have been as a relief from headaches or an attempt to release demons or bad spirits from patients deemed mad. The practice continued to attract interest into the 20th century when it was claimed that a patient’s mood could be positively impacted by increasing cerebral blood flow, a believed result of trepanation. The pursuit of a higher state of consciousness akin to the effects of psychedelic drugs was sought.
The distorted patterned imagery experienced under psychedelics is suggested by this colourful work. The cords break free from tightly bound felt as the sense of self is liberated.
Gut Reaction (100 x 70cm) merino wool, silk, wool embroidery thread
This nuno felted hanging reflects the folds, undulations and villi protrusions that exist within the small intestine to increase surface area and optimize digestion of food.
Balancing Act (112 x 70 x 10cm) merino wool, silk, paper yarn dyed with acid dyes and madder extract
The kidney continually filters the blood maintaining a healthy balance of water, salts and minerals in the body.
Wool yarn is displayed in convoluted patterns on the nuno felt, mimicking the tubule patterns found within the kidney. Filtration is emphasized by the randomly woven paper vessels some of which are dyed naturally with madder. Madder was taken in the past to treat kidney conditions but it is now recognized to be detrimental to its function when taken in large doses.
Filtration (120 x 60cm) silk, merino wool, jute hessian
-a companion piece to Balancing Act, the cut kidney motifs have been ‘filtered’ out; trapped in the hessian mesh.
25 Oct – 19 Nov 2024
Gallery76, Embroiderers’ Guild NSW
Lifting the Spirit (40 x 40cm unframed, 44 x 44cm framed) merino wool, silk, plastic, coloured pencils, linen thread
The Doctrine of Signatures was a medieval concept that believed the key to humanity’s medicinal use of plants was indicated by the form or colour of the plant. St John’s Wort was, and is, taken to alleviate the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). It has yellow flowers like the sun, grows best in warm sunny conditions and has tiny perforations on the leaf’s surface that glow with light when held up to the sun.
Lifting the Spirit is a study of the effects of St John’s Wort, worked in yellow, an interweaving of items that personally bring me joy. It includes felting, art, textiles, the exchanging of gifts, and home in Sydney glimpsed in the flower petals.
The creation of a mesh displays the basic warp and weft structure of textiles and gives depth to the work physically and metaphorically.
Gaseous Exchange 150 x 75cm merino wool, jute hessian, wool embroidery thread
This hanging is inspired by micrographs of the interior of the human lung. The alveoli of the lungs are the site of gaseous exchange, where oxygen enters the blood and carbon dioxide is removed. Alveolar walls are extremely thin and fragile to allow for oxygen to diffuse into the enclosing blood vessels. They resemble bulbous sacs in a honeycomb structure to maximise surface area.
The use of jute hessian connects with its manufacturing industry centred near my hometown in Scotland and its association with respiratory problems in those working on the factory floor.
Searching for a Way through (100 x 90cm) hawthorn dyed wool yarn, cotton embroidery thread
This work is inspired by a microscopic image, cut through a human artery that is showing atherosclerosis (blockage due to fatty deposits). It is worked in wool yarn that has been naturally dyed with hawthorn (leaves and twigs). Hawthorn was used traditionally as an old tonic for angina and congestive heart failure (dropsy) as it relaxed blood vessels and lowered blood pressure. The vasodilatation effect is due to a component in hawthorn called proanthocyanidin, a pigment found in many red berries.
The complete hanging is created by free knotting the hawthorn yarn, modifying the natural dye colour to grey and distorting areas to denote artery damage. Over 800 machine cords depict the remaining area free to blood flow in the artery.
Connecting the dots (180 x 60 x 30cm) felted wool yarn, wire
This is an abstract representation of the human lymph node system. Each coloured node denotes a different area of lymph nodes.
The lymphatic system collects excess fluid from the body's tissues and returns it to the bloodstream. It filters out waste products and abnormal cells from this fluid.
Sentinel node mapping (90 x 55cm) merino wool, light reflective fabric and thread, wool yarn
This piece depicts the lymph nodal system found in the neck. It is of concern when cancerous cells are suspected and require treatment. A sentinel lymph node is the first lymph node that cancer cells are most likely to spread to from a primary tumour. Finding and attacking this node leads to the most successful treatment of the disease. The procedure involves injecting a radioactive substance, a blue dye, to find the node.
The search for this node is represented in the work by using light reflective fabric and thread in particular ‘nodes’. A pathway is highlighted when a light is shone on the work.
Elusive (30 x 30 x 30cm excluding tendrils) merino wool, light reflective fabric, wool yarn
A companion piece to Sentinel Node Mapping, Elusive is a matryoshka of closed felted vessels with a light reflective central core. Matryoshkas depict the protection of motherhood and are traditionally symbols of good health and the continuation of life.
Purkinje cells I and II (40 x 40cm) corriedale and merino wool, wool and cotton yarn
Purkinje cells in the brain regulate and coordinate motor movements. These pieces are inspired by scanning electron micrographs (SEMs) of these cells which can be colour modified and display evidence of connecting neurones.
Flow I and II
Ileum Folds I and II
Villi orange, Villi pink and Villi turquoise
Secretions
Inner Surface
Epithelium yellow and Epithelium pink
Goblets blue and Goblets orange
Gastric villi
These 20cm framed squares of machine embroidery on felted wool are abstract representations of coloured micrographs of cells found in the oesophagous and small intestine.
Islets large (100 x 76cm)
Islets small (78 x 36cm) merino wool, silk mesh
The pancreas is an organ which helps us digest food by creating enzymes and releasing hormones (insulin and glucagon) to control blood sugar levels. This work is inspired by the Islets of Langerhans – a clump of circular cells that releases these hormones.
Neural network (150 x 68cm) jute hessian, wool and cotton thread
Neurons are responsible for passing information around the central nervous system (CNS) and from the CNS to the rest of the body. Each nerve cell comprises a body surrounded by numerous extensions called dendrites. Dendrites collect information from other nerve cells or from sensory cells.
Neurons (sculpture) approx. 100 x 35 x 45cm (l x w x h) wool yarn, foam
Each neuron consists of a cell body with dendrites, and an axon which passes information to other nerve cells. The axon appears banded as it is surrounded by a myelin sheath in places to insulate it and allow for signals to be transmitted more quickly.
Histology slide I, II and III (each 20 x 60cm) merino wool, silk, wool and cotton yarn, all dyed naturally with logwood extract
These 3 are inspired by histological slides of goblet cells stained purple and pink with haematoxylin and eosin. These are cells in the intestine that serve as the primary site for nutrient digestion and mucosal absorption.
Haematoxylin is found in logwood extract from Brazil and this extract is used here in the natural dyeing of silk and wool.
Psychedelic Visions (120 x 90cm) merino wool, concrete resin, cotton yarn, jute yarn
One of the oldest surgical procedures known to man is trepanation – the boring of holes into skulls of the living. Skulls in South America have been found with 1cm holes in them showing signs of healing – in other words the patients lived to tell the tale. Reasons for this surgery remain unclear but it may have been as a relief from headaches or an attempt to release demons or bad spirits from patients deemed mad. The practice continued to attract interest into the 20th century when it was claimed that a patient’s mood could be positively impacted by increasing cerebral blood flow, a believed result of trepanation. The pursuit of a higher state of consciousness akin to the effects of psychedelic drugs was sought.
The distorted patterned imagery experienced under psychedelics is suggested by this colourful work. The cords break free from tightly bound felt as the sense of self is liberated.
Gut Reaction (100 x 70cm) merino wool, silk, wool embroidery thread
This nuno felted hanging reflects the folds, undulations and villi protrusions that exist within the small intestine to increase surface area and optimize digestion of food.
Balancing Act (112 x 70 x 10cm) merino wool, silk, paper yarn dyed with acid dyes and madder extract
The kidney continually filters the blood maintaining a healthy balance of water, salts and minerals in the body.
Wool yarn is displayed in convoluted patterns on the nuno felt, mimicking the tubule patterns found within the kidney. Filtration is emphasized by the randomly woven paper vessels some of which are dyed naturally with madder. Madder was taken in the past to treat kidney conditions but it is now recognized to be detrimental to its function when taken in large doses.
Filtration (120 x 60cm) silk, merino wool, jute hessian
-a companion piece to Balancing Act, the cut kidney motifs have been ‘filtered’ out; trapped in the hessian mesh.
