ART PARK . 1999

Artists Statement

Valerie Reilly Keeper of Textiles at Paisley Museum writes in “ The Paisley Shawl” (1) of the “myth and legend” that surrounds the origin of the so-called “Paisley Pattern” but that there is a consensus towards regarding the pattern as a “representation of the growing shoot of the date palm” originating in ancient Chaldea. In this ancient form it symbolised fertility, prosperity and regeneration; from the Middle East the motif spread east to India and west to pre-Grecian Europe.

During the 19th century, British Imperial power coupled with technological innovation in weaving and printing cloth enabled a vigorous commercial interaction between the textile industries of Northern India and Europe. This grew rapidly in economic, social and with fashionable significance. One of the major centres of this production was to the south west of the city of Glasgow in Scotland with the town of Paisley at its heart. The success of the Paisley based product in eventually dominating the world-wide market of english -speaking peoples was such that the word ‘paisley’ became synonymous with the ubiquitous motif and has remained so.

Since about 1997 I have been making drawings and sculptures using the flower bud as a focus for contemplation and as an incredible resource for sculptural forms. I have also been exploring the expressive possibilities of patterned or textual (ie: words or hieroglyphs) information applied to, or inscribed into, the surface of large forms. I became aware of this artistic practice on visits to India on both Islamic and Hindu Classical architecture and sculpture.

In the ‘Paisley Date Palms’ the overall form of the sculptures is the main signifier of the plant growth and the indented patterning carries complementary references to natural fecundity and unlimited regeneration. To achieve the densely- patterned ‘paisley-like’ surface, fragments of contemporary, heavily crocheted floral lace were pressed into the soft clay forms prior to kiln-firing.

The difficulty of interpreting a flat, two dimensional shape into a fully-in-the-round three-dimensional form and integrating a complex pattern onto its surface is a fascinating and ongoing sculptural problem. Exploring the fractal-like Paisley motif has revealed potential for further research through the computer and new work involving multiple castings.

 Peter Bevan

May 2001

(1) “The Paisley Shawl” revised and published by Renfrewshire District Council 1996

ISBN 0 861220269