quietly Mary Curtis 2 – 23 october 2021
Here each group of 4 marks one year, using the colours of the wood to depict the equinox and solstice through the dark/light seasonal rhythm of day and night length. The + one is a bead made of just one wood.
1.
7 Years String Kauri, Horoeka (lancewood), stg silver, silk, +1 bead – Horoeka; 530x50x10mm
$1500
2.
4 Years String Puriri, Horoeka (lancewood), stg silver, silk, +1 bead – Horoeka; 300x50x10mm
$900
3.
4 Years String Pohutukawa, Horoeka (lancewood), stg silver, silk, +1 bead – Pohutukawa; 300x50x10mm
$900
4a.
1 Year String
Kauri, pohutukawa, stg silver, silk, +1 bead – Kauri; 550x10X10mm
$350
4b.
1 Year String
Kauri, Puriri, stg silver, silk, +1 bead – Puriri; 550x10X10mm
$350
4c.
1 Year String
Kauri, Rimu, stg silver, silk, +1 bead – Rimu; 550x10X10mm
$350
4d.
1 Year String
Pohutukawa, Rimu, stg silver, silk, +1 bead – Pohutukawa; 550x10x10mm
$350
4e.
1 Year String
Pohutukawa, Puriri, stg silver, silk, +1 bead – Puriri; 550x10x10mm
$350
4f.
1 Year String
Puriri, Horoeka, stg silver, silk, +1 bead - ;550x10x10mm
$350
4+1 Strings The 4+1 in these strings of beads are shown by 4 beads of the string being a different wood from the main body of the string and the +1 being both a different wood and form.
5.
17 Bead String
Puriri, Rimu, Horoeka, Kauri with driftwood, silk; 300x80x10mm
$680
6.
17 Teardrop Bead String
Kauri with Puriri, silk; 300x80x10mm
$680
7.
17 Bead ½ & ½ String
Horoeka, Kauri with driftwood, stg, silk; 300x60x10mm
$700
+1 Strings In these strings only the +1 is differentiated using a different wood, material or form.
8.
Groove 17 Bead String
Rimu, silk; 300x80x10mm
$900
9.
Drift 29 Bead String (small)
Driftwood from Whanganui beach, stg silver silk; 300x100x10mm
$600
10.
Drift 29 Bead String (large)
Driftwood from Whanganui beach, stg silver silk; 420x75x15mm
$650
Prime on Muka These muka cords are dyed using plants, both the muka and plants for dying are all sourced within a 15 minute walk of my home. The number of beads on each is a small prime number to facilitate larger movement when running the bead through the hand. (unlike the rest of the exhibition the calculation of multiples of 4 does not apply to these cords).
11a.
3 Bead Stg, Puriri x2 & Horoeka, Muka dyed with Eucalyptus bark, and raw muka ties; 470x50x10mm
$420
11b.
2 Bead Oxidised Stg, Kauri & Pohutukawa, Muka dyed with oxalis flowers, and Eucalyptus bark for ties; 500x30x10mm
$420
11c.
3 Bead Stg, Rimu x2 & Puriri, Muka dyed with rhubarb root, and Eucalyptus bark for ties; 440x30x10mm
$420
11d.
2 Bead Oxidised Stg, Puriri & Pohutukawa, Muka raw (white) & raw muka from rusted leaves (red) for ties; 480x30x10mm $420
11e.
3 Bead Stg, Kauri x 3, Muka dyed with Hebe flowers with wood ash and raw muka from rusted leaves (red) for ties; 460x30x10mm
$420
11f.
3 Bead Oxidised Stg, Rimu x 2 & Puriri, Muka dyed with lichen and spinach for ties; 420x30x10mm
$420
11g.
2 Bead Stg, Puriri & Pohutukawa, raw Muka from rusted leaves (red) and pink Hebe flowers for ties; 600x30x10mm
$420
11h.
2 Bead Oxidised Stg, Pohutukawa x2, Muka dyed with oxalis flowers and Hebe flowers with wood ash for ties; 430x30x10mm
$420
11i.
2 Bead Stg, Pohutukawa & Rimu, Muka dyed with pink Hebe flowers and oxalis flowers for ties; 470x30x10mm
$420
quietly “Trees have long been trying to reach us but they speak in frequencies too low for us to hear”. Richard Powers, The Overstory The etymological root of the word bead in English is from the Old English noun bede, meaning prayer. “To run a string of beads through your hands is to touch an ancient practice”. Beads have been used as objects for calming and meditation across many cultures and religions. They are a powerful tool to slow the breath and silence the mind. There is much to be anxious about, the divide between our economic systems and our ecosystems grows bigger all the time. We continually produce and consume without taking much stock of the damage caused by privileging economic outcomes. The beads in quietly offer the wearer a chance to slow down, to breathe quietly and connect with the rhythms of nature. As a maker I am interested in the life of all the materials I use, where they come from and where they end up. The beads in this exhibition are made from wood that is sourced sustainably from within New Zealand and all materials that make these necklaces can be recycled “In our gaian world everything is connected to and influences everything else.” References: Powers. R, The Overstory, Penguin Random House, 2018 Strand C., Worry beads, ricycle The Buddhist Review, 2006 Flannery. T, The Weather Makers, Text Publishing, 2005
View Mary Curtis talking about her work here