thinking about the sense of touch and how we see it through the shared light of our computer screens, the term Haptic Visuality has stuck in my mind over the last few weeks since reading Joy Buttress’s thesis “The Metaphorical Value of Lace in Contemporary Art: The Transformative Process of a Practice-Led Inquiry.” I had seen her work in the Love Lace exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum ten years ago
here’s a photo of Joy’s fabulous laser etched and embroidered leather gloves
This is a good distraction as Old Man Crow is in hospital under observation for the next few days getting lots of scans and tests done to see what’s going on in his stomach. He’s been quite unwell for the last 5 weeks, after a strong course of antibiotics for an evil bacteria that didn’t make him feel much better on Friday his doctor took some blood tests and after reading the results said he had better go to the hospital. I am not allowed to visit with the current Covid restrictions so am distracting myself here on the net & stitching Honesty
starting to take shape
with the two sides informing each other
and the Honesty out in the garden is starting to make new pods!
Jude Hill’s post from yesterday inspired this line
‘the holding of pattern, of thread, of the exquisite point in the hard steel of just going, in this going to where we are til we’re gone’
tonight I am just knotting thread… every knot holds a prayer
It's Crow Time 
So sorry to hear about the beautiful man. Some man health issues here as well, but not as serious.
Hope all goes well, sending love.
The holes in the last photo seemed like the birth of new eyes.
(((Jude))) feeling good that the doctors are getting onto it & y’know Rod always finds fun in even the most dire situations + he’s lucky, I made the worst dinner in a long time this evening. Had some left over Feta cheese and thought I would use it instead of the plain cheddar I usually grate on top of the red beans and rice, not a good combination… little wonder the man enjoys hospital food!
Oh. Ha Mo, humor helps!
Sending love and healing thoughts to Rod and to you Mo…I well know how it is to have your love in the hospital and not be able to be with him…but we hang on and your Honesty stitching is a good way to do just that- looking marvelous!
(((Marti))) I knew something strange was going on when he didn’t feel like drinking any beer!
i have written
Mo
Old Man Crow
Blue Mountain
on a scrap of cloth. will carry it to the Garden this morning. Place it there.
(((Grace))) thank you for this good earth magic from The Hill
the Jane Campion video is so poignant in light of your not being able to be with Rod in the hospital … sending love and hope for both of you … may he soon be all well
(((Liz))) I can’t imagine a life without hands
Oh Mo…I’m so sorry to hear this news. May they figure out what is going on and help him to heal quickly. I will think of you both as I finger crochet that soft, fine green yarn.
(((Nancy))) the softness of that green yarn
Soft enough to hold all of us. xo
My dear Mo, just sending you lots of knots as prayers for Old Man Crow, thinking of you both ❤
Your Honesty looks great and oh my those gloves :-O YOURS could easily hang there with them !
LOVE the music (and scene) of the Haptic Visuality … sounded French ( a bit like "The Piano" )
(((Els))) The Piano is one of Jane Campion’s most memorable films, the billowing of her dress floating down into the deeps, the way she touched with the back of her hands, that scene with the axe… I am so intrigued by the idea of haptic visuality especially in the context of exhibiting cloth and stitch, the longing to touch but it is not allowed, there is a wonderful tension in that.
Oh YES : the longing to TOUCH
when you’re in a textile art exhibition !!!!! (the attendant in the Dutch Textile Museum offered me a set of white cotton gloves ones … HA but that was NOT what I wanted !!!
have you seen the photos of ‘In the Middle of the World’ Judy Martin and Penny Beren’s exhibition that just opened? now that is a show where I would have to keep my hands in my pockets!
(((Mo))) Thinking of you and yes, I always feel that in my language knots are ‘prayers’ / ‘thoughts’…
The Haptic Visuality has me wanting to research more -… and your honesty stitching is going on a treat!
(((Susi))) here’s the link to a PDF of Joy’s thesis
thank you!
should say too that I know the ‘not being able to visit in hospital’ issue too and empathise – but it is amazing how we communicate in our own special ways … love to you
He has his iPhone & I have messages on this iMac so we can text each other + the hospital is just a ten minute walk away. I delivered his backpack yesterday with the phone charger, a nightshirt, slippers, 3 books to read, his Zoom music machine and a notebook so he’s all set up!
excellent he is all set up and don’t forget to look after you too….
have the day off today am just going to do a bit of knotting, read a good book & try to get some sleep!
MC – sorry to hear about OMC – vibes for healing. The glove pieces are developing beautifully. B
(((Barry))) he’s in good hands, the doctors at RPA are some of the best in the country, feeling lucky that we can just walk up to emergency!
So much in here…honesty podding, knotting, absence and visiting, haptic visuality, waiting…Waiting is hard. Sending hope and healing across the airwaves to you both, xF
(((Fiona))) Sundays are very quiet at RPA so he was able to slip out of the ward & meet me out the front when I delivered his backpack full of essentials, felt like playing hooky!
Oh! Mo! I’m so sorry you can’t be with Rod.
I hope whatever is out of kilter can be sorted . Hugs to both of you.(he’ll have to wait for his share!)
(((Di))) just sent him the link to this post by text message so he can get all the virtual hugs from here too!
(Mo) and (Rod) I’ve been walking every day and doing metta as I walk. Will add you both to my steps. (Hoping I can bypass your trash folder and slip a comment in.) Love.
((((Beth))) you are such a treasure, transforming your Mom’s gloves with Honesty is keeping some sort of semblance of sanity happening here!
thinking of you both
(((Velma))) thanks for the good vibes, it’s so cold here this morning I need to go and curl up with a good book for a bit!
Prayers said for you both.
(Oh, gosh! I just surfed down a 3 hour rabbit hole chasing ‘haptic visuality.’)
(((Faith))) it’s an interesting concept in terms of cloth did you read Claire Dagle’s luscious article ‘Jane Campion’s Bright Star: The difference between a sentence and a sewn” a movie that I tried to watch when it came out but found terminally boring after a quarter of an hour, will try to watch it again!
Honesty on leather is shaping beautifully by Mo. and don’t you just adore that word ‘haptic’. And the concept of it too.
Pretty ordinary for you all in NSW and hopefully this new easing of restrictions may see you able to visit your man in hospital. These have been strange days.
(((Susan))) just had another look at the RPA website in the hope the rules had changed overnight but they’re still not letting visitors in, the good news is Rod is all gowned up for the docs to do the biopsy soon, x fingers it all goes well & he’ll be home soon!
Oh no Mo……Old Man Crow needed another break after making up for lost time with walking and exploring. I am so sorry this has happened for him…and you too…tho I have no doubt he will be up and about in quick time. Trusting that the biopsy goes well. he recovers quickly and he soon be home with the one who loves him the most. Keeping those fingers busy and love how each knot is a prayer. Warm hugs thru the ether to you both.
(((Eliene))) x fingers, hoping to hear from him very soon!
he’s had the biopsy, something to eat at last & having a sleep now will know more tomorrow
Best wishes for a quick recovery & that all will be well in the Crow household. I enjoyed the video. I realized at some point I liked to shop for clothes not especially because I liked clothes, but because I liked to feel them on the racks. Knotted threads can be felt through the fingers like the rosary beads of my childhood.
(((CatherinE))) I remember lusting after a set of rosary beads in some fancy cathedral in Montreal on a visit to my grandmother’s house in Quebec when we were kids, they were made from real rose petals! Left the church at 14 disillusioned by the hypocrisy and have enjoyed being a pagan ever since. When I was a young footloose and fancy free hippie girl I borrowed some flash clothes from a girlfriend and we visited the House of Merivale in Melbourne. The salesgirls let me try on a fabulous pale rainbow coloured watered silk dress that was the most beautiful thing I have ever had the pleasure to wear in my life, it felt like I had nothing on… thanks for the reminders!