Since mankind emerged on our planet, people built structures to provide themselves with shelter against the elements. From simple wood or stone constructions, as civilization developed, structures became bigger and more imposing. Some became extremely elaborate. The Kings’ power and organised religion led to some of the most striking. For the last few months I have been working towards an exhibition at Glastonbury Abbey's Museum and Gallery building. The Abbey started as a simple Saxon stone church in the 7th century, and was enlarged in the 10th century. It became bigger and wealthier as time passed. After a fire in the 11th century, the monks ‘discovered’ the tomb of King Arthur and Queen
My first reaction to the challenge word was the thought that there is a big cosmic HAHA at this time at anybody who relies on a preconceived structure for anything. From the natural disasters that are affecting people around the world, to the vicious dotard in the US White House, every day brings a barrage of unpredictable and often devastating news. I spent several weeks this simmer with dear friends who are coping with the death of a close friend and its aftermath- the point was brought home to me that we need to be flexible, courageous and open minded to face the challenges that life brings.
Having just survived hurricane Irma, it's logical that my first interpretation of structure would be buildings. Furthermore, my mother is an architect who taught structures to her students: ensuring they designed buildings with structural integrity. I like it when a building stands up; especially to excessive wind. What surprised me, however, was how well our Tiki Hut withstood the wind. It isn’t actually a Tiki Hut, it’s a Seminole Indian “Chickee”, constructed the same as they have been for centuries. Chickee is the Seminole word for house. The construction process uses cypress logs and palm fronds native to the area. A genuine Seminole chickee, is exempt from modern building co
Forests are structural. Ecological harmony is a model dealing with maintaining the spatiotemporal order of trees growing in the forest. I like this challenge very much. It can be something about nature and ecosystem. I look forward to exploring some interesting possibilities and creating a work. Thank you for the challenge topic, Kate.
The next word challenge: STRUCTURE . When I get stressed out, my instinct is to organize the space around myself. I find comfort in structure and order, even if it is only a temporary comfort. The word can also mean something that holds things up, provides strength and gives something its shape. What does the word mean to you?
The very first response that popped into my head when this challenge was posed was Lineage. And that led to a stream of memories….memories about the women in my family. [if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG></o:AllowPNG> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif][if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting></w:TrackFormatting> <w:PunctuationKerning></w:PunctuationKerning> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
