Tempest
Spending 300 hours hunched over an old tapestry frame threading a single strand of red embroidery thread through delicate black satin, Lucinda King painstakingly worked to create images to evoke thought about climate change.
‘‘It was arduous. Noone saw me for a while.’’
The embroidery is one aspect of King’s work, which also includes detailed painted images and a soundtrack to ‘‘consider the uncertainty of the anthropogenic age and the complex systematic issues of dominant culture that deeply connect to climate change’’.
‘‘It’s primarily concerned with environmental degradation. I feel that the words ‘climate change’ hide the fact that it’s the result of so many layers of systems of our dominant culture. ’’
She researched Medieval textiles and the Danse Macabre (Dance of Death) wall friezes of the 14th16th centuries in designing the three panels on the large work.
‘‘I’ve used that red embroidery as a theme in my work to show the power of the dominant culture. I’m also anthropomorphising the elements in the work: the skeletons, the sound it’s a way for me to deal with climate change in my work. It’s my way of understanding it.
‘‘It’s such a mournful topic. Environmental grief is something at some level everyone feels at some stage as we are so interconnected with the planet.’’
King painted the draft images first before translating the ideas into embroidery and painting on the satin.
‘‘I had a detailed plan in my head and for four months I worked nearly every day for long hours. I was a bit sore, but I’ve come right.’’
Then she looked to bring her background as an electronic musician into play, translating the images and conceptual work into sound.
Whenever she went out she took a dictaphone with her to record anything that took her interest.
She spent numerous hours recording and then added field recordings of wild fire and natural disasters to create an 8minute loop, which features 25 layers.
‘‘It’s dramatic, it heightens its impact. I’ve probably got an album worth of songs from this project. This is the one that felt right for the work.’’
She is presenting the tapestry in a fully black room with the music loop playing in the background.
‘‘Everything floating in this big expanse, ruminating on these big ideas of the future and uncertainty. It’s how I saw it in my head.’’
King has returned to art school after about 10 years to finish her degree, curious as to how she could combine her love of music and art and see how her practice has changed in that time.
‘‘Music is a huge part of my life, but it is cool to finish my degree. I’ll continue to do my art.’’