Furisode - a halloween special

To celebrate this years halloween here is a story from the 19th century writer Lafcadio Hearn. 

"Recently, while passing through a little street tenanted chiefly by dealers in old wares, I noticed a furisode, or long-sleeved robe, of the rich purple tint called murasaki, hanging before one of the shops. It was a robe such as might have been worn by a lady of rank in the time of the Tokugawa. I stopped to look at the five crests upon it; and in the same moment there came to my recollection this legend of a similar robe said to have once caused the destruction of Yedo.

Nearly two hundred and fifty years ago, the daughter of a rich merchant of the city of the Shoguns, while attending some temple- festival, perceived in the crowd a young samurai of remarkable beauty, and immediately fell in love with him. Unhappily for her, he disappeared in the press before she could learn through her attendants who he was or whence he had come. But his image remained vivid in her memory, even to the least detail of his costume. The holiday attire then worn by samurai youths was scarcely less brilliant than that of young girls; and the upper dress of this handsome stranger had seemed wonderfully beautiful to the enamoured maiden. She fancied that by wearing a robe of like quality and color, bearing the same crest, she might be able to attract his notice on some future occasion.

Accordingly she had such a robe made, with very long sleeves, according to the fashion of the period; and she prized it greatly. She wore it whenever she went out; and when at home she would suspend it in her room, and try to imagine the form of her unknown beloved within it. Sometimes she would pass hours before it, dreaming and weeping by turns. And she would pray to the gods and the Buddhas that she might win the young man's affection, often repeating the invocation of the Nichiren sect: Namu myo ho renge kyo!

But she never saw the youth again; and she pined with longing for him, and sickened, and died, and was buried. After her burial, the long-sleeved robe that she had so much prized was given to the Buddhist temple of which her family were parishioners. It is an old custom to thus dispose of the garments of the dead.

The priest was able to sell the robe at a good price; for it was a costly silk, and bore no trace of the tears that had fallen upon it. It was bought by a girl of about the same age as the dead lady. She wore it only one day. Then she fell sick, and began to act strangely, crying out that she was haunted by the vision of a beautiful young man, and that for love of him she was going to die. And within a little while she died; and the long- sleeved robe was a second time presented to the temple.

Again the priest sold it; and again it became the property of a young girl, who wore it only once. Then she also sickened, and talked of a beautiful shadow, and died, and was buried. And the robe was given a third time to the temple; and the priest wondered and doubted.

Nevertheless he ventured to sell the luckless garment once more. Once more it was purchased by a girl and once more worn; and the wearer pined and died. And the robe was given a fourth time to the temple.

Then the priest felt sure that there was some evil influence at work; and he told his acolytes to make a fire in the temple- court, and to burn the robe.

So they made a fire, into which the robe was thrown. But as the silk began to burn, there suddenly appeared upon it dazzling characters of flame, the characters of the invocation, Namu myo ho renge kyo; and these, one by one, leaped like great sparks to the temple roof; and the temple took fire.

Embers from the burning temple presently dropped upon neighbouring roofs; and the whole street was soon ablaze. Then a sea-wind, rising, blew destruction into further streets; and the conflagration spread from street to street, and from district into district, till nearly the whole of the city was consumed. And this calamity, which occurred upon the eighteenth day of the first month of the first year of Meireki (1655), is still remembered in Tokyo as the Furisode-Kwaji,--the Great Fire of the Long-sleeved Robe."

Lafcadio Hearn – In Ghostly Japan (1899)

Things to do this Autumn

Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan
National Gallery
This is the most complete display of Leonardo's rare surviving paintings ever held and one of the most eagerly anticipated gallery events for many years.
The exhibition focuses on Leonardo as an artist and concentrates on the work he produced as court painter to Duke Lodovico Sforza in Milan in the late 1480s and 1490s. Booking early is strongly recommended.

9 November 2011 – 5 February 2012
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/leonardo-da-vinci-painter-at-the-court-of-milan

Sculpture in Gloucester
Gloucester Cathedral
Featuring work by Anthony Gormley, Damien Hirst, Sir Eduardo Palozzi, Jon Buck and others until October 30th, organised by the cathedral and Gallery Pangolin.
The cathedral has been at the centre of stonemasonry production for 900 years and still employs seven masons. The work of one of these, Jordi Raga Frances, is included.

Until 30 October
www.crucible2010.co.uk
www.thecityofgloucester.co.uk

Top Drawer
Olympia, London
See the best British and international retail suppliers exhibiting under one roof.
Retail areas covered include: Fashion and accessories, Home, Childrens, Gifts,
Stationary & greetings and Wellbeing.

11 – 13 September
http://www.topdrawer.co.uk/


Farmers Markets with the National Trust
Various sites around the country
Find a local market near you or visit the National Trust site for recommendations

Various Dates
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-events/w-events-food_farming.htm
Or a general search: http://www.farmersmarkets.net/


The Romantics
Tate Britain
This autumn the Tate showcases major works by Henry Fuseli, JMW Turner, John Constable and Samuel Palmer, as well as newly-acquired works by William Blake – a must for those of who like nothing better than wondering around Europe in lacy shirts while under the influence of opium.

From 9 August
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/romantics/default.shtm

5 Things to do this Spring

 1. Diaghilev Festival – English National Opera
English National Opera 

Experience a series of revivals/re-stagings of the original versions of major ballets from the impresario Sergei Diaghilev, including; The Firebird, Scheherazade, L’Apres-midi d’un Faune and Le Pavillion d’Armide.

 2. The Cult of Beauty: The Aesthetic Movement 1860-1900 at the V&A
V&A London

‘Fashion is what one wears oneself. What is unfashionable is what other people wear.’

…so wrote Oscar Wilde, a quote which perhaps best embodies the sentiment of an extraordinary 19th Century artistic movement which sought to escape the ugliness and materialism of the Victorian era by creating a new kind of art and beauty and promoted the idea of 'art for art's sake'.

'Best Works of Aubrey Beardsley' - Dover Publications

3. Dirt – The filthy reality of everyday life - The Welcome Collection
The Welcome Collection, London 

A new major exhibition opens at the Welcome Collection with a closer look at something that is very familiar but which we are often reluctant to confront.

The exhibition brings together around 200 artefacts spanning visual art, documentary photography, cultural ephemera, scientific artefacts, film and literature, uncovering a rich history of disgust and delight in the grimy truths and dirty secrets of our past.

4. Jane Austen's TV locations – National Trust
The National Trust 

If you are a fan of Jane Austin you might want to experience the various National Trust locations around Britain that have been used for adaptations of Austin’s Novels.

 Jane Austin's Days out - The National Trust

5. Joan Miró – Tate Modern – from April 14th 
 Tate Modern

The Tate's big summer exhibition shows for the first time in 50 years a retrospective by the great Spanish surrealist.

Temple Mosaic: A Jewel of Thailand

One has to be prepared for the unexpected upon entering the temple grounds of Wat Pho as very quickly there is a realisation that what from a distance looks like beautifully ornate carved structures are in fact made up of thousands of pieces of broken pottery.

 Mosaic at Wat Pho, Bangkok

The richly hued terracotta is made up of varying tones and patterns which form geometric shapes, essentially composed of detailed flowers which have a wonderfully tactile feel making them irresistible not to touch.

Wat Pho is one of the delights of visiting Bangkok and one of the largest and oldest Wats in Thailand. The Wat (which means a Buddhist temple or monastery ) dates back to the rule of King Rama I ( 1782 – 1809) and the name refers to its four tessellated spires which soar 42 meters into the sky like an oriental Tower of Babel.

Wat Pho / Wat Rong Khun

The spires or ‘Chedi’s’ were built by King Mongkut and represent the reigns of the first four kings of the Chakri Dynasty with each spire made up of different coloured mosaic: green, white, yellow and dark blue, each one contrasting with the other yet all remaining integral in their relationship to the complex as a whole.

Wat Rong Khun – Notes from a Fairytale Dream
Even from a distant Wat Rong Khum conjures up a resplendent presence. Situated in northern Thailand and designed as recently as 1997 (and still uncompleted) the temple provides a conspicuous contrast to Wat Pho or indeed to any other temple in Thailand. The structure is part giant ice sculpture and part forbidden palace from a fairytale dream as it is formed exclusively in white and mirrored glass which is supposed to signify the purity and wisdom of the Lord Buddha – the temples effect of shimmering reflections from the embedded glass, illuminates in all directions which in turn creates a natural display of glittering lights.

Wat Rong Khun, Chiang Rai,Thailand

This kinetic aura is of otherworldly proportions and the effect becomes heightened as a closer examination of the exterior reveals; mythological creatures profiled against the pale sky - demonic apparitions that dance in the light exposing an assortment of finely crafted swirls, twisted and curling ends with sharp points, mirrored eyes and serpent tongue’s spitting light in many directions. The temple is simultaneously a magnificent fantasy and a strange reality, juxtaposed against and interlaced with the surrounding landscape.

 Mosaic Inspiration: Porcelain charm encased in silver

Spring/Summer 2011 Photoshoot

Model - Christine Bonney

Photographer - Vikki Ellis

Hair & Makeup Artist - Alexis Daly

Model - Christine Bonney
Photographer - Vikki Ellis
Hair & Makeup Artist - Alexis Daly

The Forbidden City: Objects from the Gilded Cage

Recently, I visited the ‘Imperial Chinese Robes’ exhibition at the V&A in London and among the beautifully crafted hats, shoes, children's clothes and patterned fabrics that were on display there, I came across an elaborate and exquisitely fashioned robe which I recalled seeing at the Palace Museum in Beijing several years earlier.

The robe - informal in its function, had belonged to the Empress Dowager Cixi and was worn when she was not fulfilling official duties (complex rules and conventions specifying which clothes should be worn on different court occasions were implicitly followed). Its form ­- illuminated in satin yellow, shimmered like evening sunlight, while beautifully embroidered butterfly’s and cranes revelled amongst the elaborate fauna of the garments folds.

Empress' informal robe, Guangxu reign period (1875-1908) 

The Palace Museum, Beijing.

Once the exclusive dominion of the Empress Dowager the intense yellow of this outfit has undergone a democratic transformation becoming the prevailing colour of choice amongst the Beijing tourist, this heritage could be witnessed in the brightly coloured caps, bags, umbrellas and guidebooks that peppered the courtyards of the Forbidden City. On this particular day these scattered patterns had become more intense hue’s as tourists huddled together in groups trying to escape the biting winds that blew around these vast open spaces.

The courtyards, also known as the “Sea of Flagstones” envelop the three great halls that served the Ming and Qing Dynasties as imperial residences and made up the ceremonial heart of the Forbidden City, but with the concessions China has made to modernity and the rush to embrace the western ideal of tourism the mystique has somewhat faded (this cultural erosion was not helped by the opening of a Starbucks coffee shop here in 2000, although due to intense pressure from the Chinese media the shop was closed in 2007).

 The old starbucks in The Forbidden City

Inside the city one encounters a myriad of passageways, temples, pagodas, gardens and most noticeably, an endless parade of large wooden doors. This surreal spectacle, resembling a vignette from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was enhanced by the occasional sighting of smartly dressed museum staff disappearing and reappearing through these portals, all of which only helped to elevate the legend of "Palace of 9,999 and a half rooms" (because only the palace of heaven could have a perfect 10,000).

At the heart of the Palace Museum - treasures of delicately carved bowls, gracefully shaped vases and other decorative ornaments made from contrasting shades of jade; elaborately hand-painted porcelain that must have been the envy of any visitor from cosmopolitan Europe and suits of beautifully made armour could all be observed - each object a testament to a lost culture in which time had stood still and where complex rules and procedures were enacted by courtiers with the sole purpose of keeping up the artifice of a dynasty with power.

 Entrance to The Forbidden City and Empress Cixi

Two objects exemplified life in this gilded cage. The first; a finely detailed bamboo screen from which it was said, the Dowager Empress Cixi had discreetly received visitors as foreign dignitaries and Chinese of lower cast were not allowed to lay eyes on such a divine personage.

The second object was a black, heavy-framed bicycle, given to the Last Emperor Pu Yi, by his British tutor, Reginald Johnston. At the beginning of the 20th Century the Emperor still lived within the 25-foot fortified violet wall of the Great Within, he was the only male there – except for the 1500 eunuchs of the Manchu court and was rarely allowed to venture beyond the Forbidden City's walls, so to have received this offering must have seen to the Emperor as the essence of western modernity and an escape into another world.

Emperor Pu Yi

Following the Silver Trail

High up in the mountains where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos converge there is an area known as “The Golden Triangle”. This area was once the centre of all opium poppy growing in the country, today, however, this illicit profession has long since been replaced by tourist villages who’s roads are flanked by countless small restaurants and vendor's souvenir stalls that run along the banks of the Mekong River.

The Mekong has become home to one of the most enjoyable and popular tourist pastimes in this region - the boat tour. Wooden long-tail boats are available for hire here, and cruising up the river and its tributaries allows visitors a glimpse of village life in the many riverside settlements of the Karen hill tribes.

These semi-nomadic people, famous for their silverwork, migrated from Tibet around the 12th century and it is said that there are approximately 400,000 Karen Hill Tribe people living in the hills of Northern Thailand, and another 7 million in Myanmar.

I was privileged enough to visit Mai Le, a village near the border with Myanmar where I watched artisans carefully handcraft designs from scratch, using only high-content silver (97%-99% pure). The Karen employ traditional methods and tooling skills which have been influenced by centuries of tribe culture and art and you can actually see evidence of each piece having been formed by the hands of the craftsman.

Typically, this type of jewellery is engraved with plants, flowers, animals, or geometric designs, symbolizing their direct connection & historical links to both the land and water.

Bali: The art of decorative silver-casting
The art of metalworking arrived in Indonesia in the Bronze Age from Southern Chinese and Southeast Asian areas. Graves discovered from this period have revealed gold and silver necklaces, hairpins, beads and rings.

By the beginning of the 16th century Bali became a sanctuary for Hindus forced out of an increasingly Islamized Java. As the Majapahit Empire crumbled, there was a huge influx into Bali of Javanese noblemen and craftsmen and Bali became one of the main centers of precious metal craft.

The metal-smiths of Bali have been making beads dating back to this period; historically, they used silver to make bowls and items for their temple offerings, and gradually used silver to replace gold for the actual jewellery.

Balinese artisans begin by "casting" a base bead, this means pouring liquid silver into a mold to create the base piece, which is then decorated by soldering additional pieces of silver onto it.

After the beads are finished, they are cleaned with a solution made from tamarind fruit, then dipped into an antiquing solution. This last step in the process fills the grooves with a dark color to create a contrast between the high and low parts of the bead resulting in the distinctive style of the Balinese bead.