Alicia Paz CFPR Editions / Labyrinth of Images –Reflections on Chatsworth House
by Sash Giles
Foreword
Alicia is a painter and sculptor based in London who studied MA Painting at Royal College of Art in 2008 and Postgraduate Diploma at Goldsmiths College, London in 2000. Born and raised in Mexico, before living in the US, France and now the UK, Alicia’s work is informed by her personal experience and offers a reflection on transcultural representation, particularly that of women. Through her paintings and sculptures, Alicia explores cultural hybrids, representations of family, and the complexities of kinship and lineage in a globalised world. Her work often incorporates elements from applied and decorative arts as a tool for interweaving narratives and exploring displacement and identity. Illusion and materiality, as well as ornamentation, feature strongly in her work.
Alicia Paz
CFPR Editions / Labyrinth of Images –Reflections on Chatsworth House
I first became aware of Alicia Paz’s work when I saw a large painting in blue and white, and embellished with projecting curvilinear gold rocailles that framed the faces of several women. All were communicators in some way: among them were the recognisable faces of opera singer Angela Gheorghiu, politician Golda Meir, writer Phyllis Wheatley, campaigner and activist Angela Davis. Each of them variously labelled “problematic” –women who challenged the status quo, who did not conform to expectations, or broke rules that they had little or no part in making. The title of that work is drawn from suffragist Millicent Fawcett’s statement “Courage calls to courage everywhere, its voice cannot be denied”. It is a quote chosen by Paz to reflect the complexity of women’s lives and arranged in a composition to reflect a “trans-historic conversation” with women across time. We were fortunate to include this painting in a 2021 exhibition at Chatsworth to help interpret a lesser-known aspect of the life of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (1757-1806), namely her work as a political campaigner.
As I came to know Alicia I began to understand that her facility as a polyglot is apparent in so much of her work: interpreting and translating information from one time and tongue to another. While the sound and shape of the words change, the essence of the message is communicated with incision.
Returning to Chatsworth in 2022 as part of a shared residency with S1 Artspace, Alicia began to uncover stories and voices of women at Chatsworth - where time is usually measured in the span of each Duke’s tenure, and several of the Duchesses are known only through their roles as daughters, wives and mothers. Paz introduces several women connected to Chatsworth in her work, including Escoffier-trained chef Dora Lee, bluestocking Lady Lucy Cavendish, and litigious matriarch Countess Christian Bruce. Paz reframes their identities by disrupting their materiality: the cold white marble cheek of a sculpture is transformed into a dark and gauzy opposite through the use of photogravure and reproduction on fabrics, thus softening and blurring outlines. Faces viewed through veils, as Paz the medium, brings their voices forward.
Alicia, with a painter’s eye, came to see Chatsworth as a labyrinthine dreamscape and drew connections between that landscape and the one of Park Hill, her Sheffield base for the
Alicia Paz
Cover image: Henriette, photogravure edition, Habotai silk, 50 x 45 cm
Opposite: Photogram image detail based on chintz, Devonshire Collections
Alicia Paz portrait by Anthony Lycett
period of the residency. The two landscapes, at first dissonant, are in some ways surprisingly similar: both are ambitiously designed spaces reflecting the aspirations of their times – each reimagined to reflect the changing outlooks of their inhabitants and champions.
The continuation of the residency at the Centre for Print Research (CFPR) allowed Alicia to expand her technical vocabulary, working in photogravure, silk-screen, dyesublimation, block and 3-D printing, with works in these mediums forming part of her CFPR edition. The edition is imagined as a cabinet of curiosities, drawing on both the precious kunstkammer and the marvellous and educational wunderkammer, which were each integral parts of the education of aristocrats, scholars and artists.
The product of this period of incredible fecundity is imagined as a “giant collage, a hybrid meta-work”, to quote Alicia herself. The works encourage a sense of déjà-vu, akin to gazing at the refractions of a crystal, or drops of ink in ever-increasing circles. Through repetition, the multi-layering of images and resulting complexity, the viewer’s perceptions are changed. As a mechanism of display, Paz has used folding screens, so often employed to furnish historic rooms. Screens inhabit space, decorate it, and create rooms within rooms – concealing both persons and places, they offer private spaces within public ones. Screens are often covered with precious materials including reused treasures, such as pieces of tapestry, Chinese export wallpaper or silks, gilded and embossed leather, or they are embellished with decoupage or prints. They can be revealing of tastes and interests while at the same time concealing views or activities.
Alicia is only the second contemporary artist in residence at Chatsworth. To work with someone over an extended period of time is to build a relationship, based on a gesture of welcome with an open hand and mind. These are periods of exploration, creativity and discovery, not bound by the limits of contracts or project briefs. In Alicia’s work are similar themes of connectivity. Recurring ideas in her work are the necklace and the tree, both forming networks – or collectives – of women. The women of Chatsworth are part of Alicia’s world now, woven, refracted, connected, and unambiguously present.
Sash Giles Curator of Decorative Arts Devonshire CollectionsChatsworth
January 2023
Opposite: Baroque Lady, dye sublimation on synthetic chiffon, 100 x 70 cmIn the Summer of 2022, whilst artist in residence at S1 Artspace in Sheffield, I had the opportunity to research the historic collections of Chatsworth House, in nearby Derbyshire. In consultation with their expert curatorial team, I looked at extraordinary paintings, sculptures, textiles, decorative arts, archival material as well as the Chatsworth House Theatre. This research inspired a new body of work in photography, using the camera-less technique of photograms. As I walked through the grand house, I instinctively took photographs with my phone, literally hundreds of them. I selected the most interesting ones among these and turned them into photocopies on acetate, cutting them, collaging them, and combining these with opaque and semi-opaque objects such as necklaces and scarves, to create my compositions.
Continuing to develop this project in partnership with my residency at CFPR, I decided to explore other material translations of these photographic images, by scanning them in high resolution and printing them onto fabrics, and then displaying these on a folding-screen structure composed of multiple sections. Viewers would be able to walk along and around the screen, seeing different images from different angles, on either side. My aim was to create a labyrinth of interrelated pictures, referencing both the maze in the Chatsworth Garden and the architectural layout of Park Hill Estate in Sheffield, where S1 Artspace is located. I wanted to create a rich dialogue between painting, photography, print and sculpture.
Below left: Moonlight, photogram on Ilford satin paper, 30 x 24 cm
Below right: Queen Flora, photogram on Ilford satin paper, 30 x 24 cm
“The overlapping of images, allowing to see one through the filter of another, makes me think of how art evolves through the ages, how there are so many layers of history and human experience behind every art object.”
I was also interested in making a three-dimensional edition in ceramic or glass, reflecting on costume and attire. Approaching my project almost as the creation of a theatrical set, I wanted to use contemporary materials that could reference a complex history, incorporating various forms of ornamentation, and that could present versatile possibilities in terms of inhabiting a space. I gave particular attention, both in my research and in my production process, to the biographies of certain female figures in the history of Chatsworth, women whose lives I found exemplary and compelling. Botanical elements feature strongly in this new body of work as well, highlighting the importance of the land, and the relationship to nature.
Below: Blanche, photogravure on Habotai silk, 20 x 16 cm
With the help and guidance of CFPR master printer Laura Clarke-Oaten, I explored different printing methods such as photogravure and silk-screen. The first of these was completely new to me, and I was immediately drawn to how faithful it was to the subtle intricacies of a photograph, and yet looking more ‘embodied’, like a print. I found the coated polymer plates used for printing beautiful to look at too, with their strange shades of opalescent green.
Early in the residency, I worked with Rebecca Hill at the Digital Print Bureau to experiment with digital printing. This method allowed me to print at a larger scale on a range of natural fabrics; I loved becoming acquainted with many versions of silk, that noble material. Habotai, bamboo, silk tweed and crêpe de chine, all became familiar names. In addition, I was able to explore printing onto synthetic materials, such as polyester satins, chiffon, organza, by using a dye sublimation process, resulting in a variety of surfaces and effects. As a painter, I had never before worked with printed textiles, and so I had much to learn.
It has been fascinating to experience, also for the first time, glass casting, developing sculptures from 3D-scanned objects. I found the properties of glass absolutely fascinating, how it can melt and flow, and like molten lava, eventually harden into a shape. It was equally mesmerizing to see how glass can act as a marbled vehicle for colour, and as a passage, a gateway for light. Having said that, I also found it very challenging to work with; it is often terribly fragile, even dangerous. This initiation into the craft has opened my eyes, allowing me to better appreciate and admire what is involved in skilled glass work.
It has been interesting for me to gradually see how the different printed fabrics look next to each other, as a sequence of images (leading me to place dense elements next to quieter, calmer ones), and also to observe how they appear when they are layered, as some fabrics are opaque and some are translucent. The overlapping of images, allowing to see one through the filter of another, makes me think of how art evolves through the ages, how there are so many layers of history and human experience behind every art object.
Above: Lucy Cavendish Reading, digital print on primed linen, 100 x 70 cm
Opposite: Tassels and Columns, dye sublimation on synthetic fabrics, dimensions variable
I have developed three final editions. The first one comprises an ensemble of 4 photogravures on Habotai silk inspired by different elements of Chatsworth history. One is based on a portrait painted by John Medina of Christian Bruce, who is one of several notable and strong female figures in the Cavendish family. I was touched by how she, as a young widow, fiercely defended her children’s interests. The second photogravure is based on a sculpture of operatic soprano Henriette Sontag by Ludwig Wichmann. I love her features, particularly her mouth, the instrument of her vocal art. The other two photogravures feature plant forms, a fern and a few wild weeds, that I photographed whilst walking in the vast Chatsworth grounds. All four photogravure images were initially mediated and recomposed by my photogram process.
The second edition consists of a 3D-printed shoe adorned with crystal shapes, covered in 22 karat gold leaf. It was made from the 3D scan of a velvet slipper, part of a pair I found in a Sheffield charity shop last Summer. Georgiana Cavendish, another remarkable woman in the history of Chatsworth, was a keen collector of crystals, and I like referencing this interest of hers, combining it (in an incongruous, surreal way) with the idea of the humble slipper as a symbol of comfort and sedentary repose. Crystals form in nature over time, and I find their shapes very decorative. The gold leaf gives the sculpture a reflective luminosity.
The third edition I made is an ensemble of varied rococo shapes made into rubber stamps that one can use freely to make ornamental patterns. The muted grey tone of the laserengraved rubber makes me think of lead, which connects to mineral resources found in the Derbyshire land. The rococo shapes echo natural forms such as leaves and seashells in a playful, stylized manner.
Opposite top: Dora’s Laughter, photogram on Ilford satin paper, 30 x 24 cm
Opposite below: Derbyshire Weeds, photogram on Ilford satin paper, 30 x 24 cm
Below: Serpentine Necklaces (detail), photogram on Ilford satin paper, 30 x 24 cm
One of the challenges I encountered with the photogravure on silk edition is the question of what to do with the fabric edges. As a painter working on canvas, I never had to think about that before... Regarding the silk fabric, I wanted the image to remain visually uncluttered, and for the silk to flow unencumbered by a sewn hem. After experimenting with different approaches, the solution Carinna Parraman proposed was to try laser-cutting the edges of the silk, successfully creating a discreet but sealed firm edge.
Another challenge I discovered was that working with glass casting was too slow and laborious for the amount of time I had at my disposal, particularly given my lack of experience with this material. This is what led me to opt for a 3D-printed sculpture edition. I did manage to make one glass sculpture that I was pleased with, again using the velvet slipper cast in combination with crystal shapes. In this case, the glass material carries yet another reference, that of Cinderella’s delicate slipper left behind. This brings to my mind aspirational dreams of class or professional mobility, that many young women in service at Chatsworth in years past perhaps would have kept hidden away, a hopeful secret held in their heart of hearts.
Above: Ghosts, photogram on Ilford satin paper, 30 x 24 cm
Left: Alicia Paz with work in progress.
Photo by Frank Menger
Below: Ninfa, photogravure on Habotai silk, 57 x 44 cm
Much of the work I made at CFPR is somewhere between the single, unique art object and the multiple, as I used image repetition and variation in different ways. The same woman’s portrait for example, can be seen in my project in a myriad of ways, printed on different fabrics, using different printing methods, and/or printed at a different scale. This way of working is very new to me. Also, producing a range of interrelated images to create a single whole, displayed as an installation, leads me to consider my project as a kind of meta-artwork. I am reminded of how, on a far grander scale of course, the collections at Chatsworth also impact the viewer as an orchestrated, complex ensemble, where everything is interconnected.
Accustomed to working in isolation in my painting studio, it has been fascinating to observe at CFPR how printmakers work. I have seen how printmaking, in its many forms, is an inherently collaborative field, one in which the creative process is often shared between different individuals, working together through dialogue and the alternating application of particular skills. I also learned that sometimes misunderstandings between collaborators can result in wonderful positive surprises! It has been very stimulating to develop my work surrounded by other practitioners working on their own projects within an open plan space. Everyone continually learns through observation, exchange and discussion.
“As a painter accustomed to working in isolation, it has been fascinating to observe at CFPR how printmakers work, seeing how printmaking in its many forms is an inherently collaborative field.”
Leonora’s Shoes, photogravure on Habotai silk, 30 x 25 cm
Rococo stamps, rubber and plywood, dimensions variable
Labyrinth of Images – Reflections on Chatsworth House / 2023
Edition size:
1) Edition of 20 for each of 4 photogravures on Habotai silk
2) Edition of 10 for Crystal Slipper sculpture
3) 42 rubber stamps with brass handles, presented in different combinations in 7 box sets of 6 stamps each
Dimensions:
Photogravure on silk: “Fern” and "Derbyshire Weeds” 59 x 27 cm each
Photogravure on silk: “Portrait of Christian Bruce" and “Henriette" 50 x 45 cm each
Crystal Slipper sculpture: 9 x18 x11 cm
Rubber stamps: Dimensions variable, largest –14 cm long
Printmaking processes:
Photogravure on Habotai silk, 22 karat gold leaf on 3D-printed resin sculpture, and laser engraving and cutting on rubber, brass handles.
Opposite above: Golden Hands, silk screen and gold leaf on paper, 21 x 29 cm
Opposite below: Crystal Slipper sculpture. Formlabs Grey V4 resin, painted and gilded in 22k gold leaf
Above:
Graphic Design
J Graphic & Digital Design j-graphicdesign.co.uk
Text Alicia Paz Sash Giles
Photography Anthony Lycett
Frank Menger
Simon Regan (simonregan.com)
Project partners
Print Taylor Brothers, Bristol taylorbros.uk.com
Centre For Print Research
University of the West of England College of Arts, Technology and Environment W Block, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane Bristol BS16 1QY UK
E: cfprinfo@uwe.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)117 328 5864
cfpreditions.uwe.ac.uk cfpr.uwe.ac.uk
@CFPR_research @CFPRresearch
©CFPR March 2023
Portrait of Christian Bruce, photogravure edition, Habotai silk, 50 x 45 cm Opposite: image taken from Venetian Point de Neige lace, 1700’s, Devonshire Collections Back cover: Photogram image detail based on chintz, Devonshire Collections