To hold on to knowlege

TO . H O L D . O N . TO . K N OW L E D G E

T H O S E . W H O . D O N ’ T . K N OW . H I S TO R Y . A R E . D E S T I N E D . TO . R E P EAT . I T 2008151905_230815_04151420_11141523_08091920151825_011805_0405192009140504_2015_180516050120_0920

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Natural thread is a favourite material of mine . It is associated with connections, weaving and layers. I enjoy creating sculpture with thread due its ability to give form but also equally to give presence to absence.

In response to the subject ‘hold’ I wanted to explore both a physical and mental interpretation. Holding is an action usually performed by the hands and fingers while the concept ‘hold’ can apply to holding onto memories or other intangible ideas.

Thread as a material often tangles naturally which led me to start to look at the idea of knots. Making a knot requires using ones hands. In the process the hands and thread become woven and tangled together. One is reliant on the other. The combination of twists and turns of the hands with the thread form a multitude of patterns. It is a form of art.

Knots have a practical application associated with ships and sailing and also a symbolic connection throughout history. The Egyptians believed knots held magical powers.

In my research I discovered that knots have also been used to represent numbers.

The Incas used a series of knots in thread of different colours and length to record data, finances and messages in place of words. This was called a quipu. Only those with the knowledge could interpret the data and relay it. It was a form of communication.

The quest for knowledge and the need for communication has been a vital part of humanity , and were the main reasons humans came to conquer the planet. In the present times where emotion increasingly seems more important than fact we need more than ever to properly record and hold on to knowledge, not to conquer but to understand the world around us. If we don’t learn from our mistakes we are destined to keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

My knots are the same form as the original quipus. I have interpreted the numbers as letters of the alphabet and each strand spells out a new word.

The process and repetition of forming the knots further embeds the words ‘HOLD ON TO KNOWLEDGE’

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HOW IT WORKS:

The design is based on an ancient Inca device called a Quipu.

A Quipu was used for recording information depending on the type of and the amount of knots.

In my Quipu i translated a quote and translated each letter into its numerical order in the alphabet for example A=1, J=10.

I then proceeded to create that number of knots for each letter.

Each length of string creates a word and when all words and letters are deciphered the quote would become apparent to the reader. The hands and holding become part of the process and the interpretation and understanding.

The viewer is much more likely to absorb the knowledge encapsulated in the Quipu if they discover it like un-ravelling a code.

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