“Please close your eyes and then open them with the understanding that you are now in my world…”
That was the screen text on one of my short films I made for uni way back when. It then followed with a non-eventful continuing loop of crappy video footage of water backwash from a motorboat. Yes I went to art college. My poor fellow students, I apologise to you now but I’m sure I must have thought it expressed something inside me worth expressing at the time. Perhaps some inclination for wanting to be one of Kingsley’s captured water babies…
The Water Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby
My mother read it to me as a child and as difficult as it was to try to understand the 19th century English of Charles Kingsley’s at the age of 8, the essence of the story and the beautiful sketches of Jessie Willcox Smith are etched in my heart forever still.
In short, the story is about Tom, a young chimney sweep who falls in the river and unfortunately dies but is transformed into a ‘water baby’. A series of underwater adventures follows with fairies such as Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby and Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid.
This story fuelled my imagination and passion for the sea and inspired many an artwork since, including the above mentioned short film and a number of sketches, photographic stories like the one below, short stories and poems that one day, when back in Sydney, I might take a wander through the attic and perhaps will feel brave enough to post them here in the (blog)house. I am always drawn to water, I can’t help but want to take out my camera and click away, so this week is dedicated to places, things and images water related that have inspired me and continue to inspire my work. I adore the waters edge, finding all sorts of little bits and pieces to make things from… stringing little shells into necklaces and bracelets, gathering driftwood, or just collecting, I always find a gift from mother nature when i take a wander by the sea side…
i look forward to your water posts. I love the sea.
May 14th, 2008 | #
My FOREVER favourite book! Still have my mum’s copy! Mrs Doasyouwouldbedoneby is my heroine! Too sweet!
May 17th, 2008 | #