Tides Rising is an installation of pieces that embody the notion of changing environments. It represents the slow incremental change in the natural rhythm of the oceans. While still beautiful they are none-the-less rising and becoming more unpredictable and destructive. The installation is designed to reflect on how slow and insidious tidal damage can be, not just in ecological terms, but also in the economic and political consequences of displaced peoples.
2018, Silk-wrapped stainless steel, acrylic medium and silver-plated copper wire 90’ L X 32’ W, Photo: Noel Hodnett.
This piece explores the role of the raven in Norse mythology. It was created in response to learning that the word raven was excluded from the English language Oxford Juniour Dictionary for children in favour of technical language. This Norse myth refers to the ravens, Huginn, meaning thought, and Muninn, meaning memory/mind, that Odin employed to bring him information from around the globe. In this piece Raven, On the Wing brings focus to the same thinking that gave rise to the internet in modern times; that is, that we can be connected beyond geographical locale through thought. But it also highlights the irony of how the modern technical version of this concept is edging out the natural world and the rich role of nature in story-telling and myth.
2019, Silk-wrapped stainless steel, acrylic medium and copper wire 48’ W X 42’ H, Photo: Noel Hodnett.
Anselm Kiefer has referred to landscape as having history and I would agree with him on this point. Even natural landscape has history and the witnesses of that history are often unexpected. On the Pacific Coast of Canada the Western Red Cedars bear witness to change over the recent few centuries. They do so through declining growth ring size. These trees are dependent on a crucial life cycle depicted in the sculptural collage I've titled Entanglement. The sea, the salmon (depicted here in skeletal form) and the cedar embody an interdependence of life in the oceans and coastal forest. The salmon is depicted here transitioning along its arduous migration back to the stream where it was born and eventually contribute to the coastal forest through nutrients from its skeleton. The title is borrowed from the term quantum entanglement ~ a means by which migrating species are thought to be guided by magnetism. There is however another layer of entanglement as the sea, the salmon and cedar are also intertwined with the economy and consequently the political decisions that threaten the very continuance of this cycle.
Knitted silk-wrapped stainless steel, acrylic medium, velvet and silk and silver-plated and coloured copper core wire. Photo: Noel Hodnett
Apothecia
This piece pays homage to Georgia O'Keefe who beautifully captured the sensuousness of the fruiting body of plants. Apotheica in turn are the fruiting bodies of lichen. This form of life is one of the oldest on earth. I have chosen to depict these features in a subtle colouration of tone on tone reminiscent of Agnus Martin's work to retain the primitive beauty of their enduring and successful design as a living organism in nature.
Kibesu & gima silk, fin & merino wool, cocoon casings and wood glue. Photo: Noel Hodnett
Umbilica is one of a series of pieces based on the general shape of the Umbilicaria class of lichens that are plentiful in the moist forests of the Pacific Northwest Coast. The irregular shape of their lobed thallus was created by knitting a repeated pattern of different sizes (also known as fractals) using threads formed of silk-wrapped stainless steel. When wired with copper and stiffened with acrylic medium the shape spontaneously evolves into a form resembling this class of lichens.
2015, Silk-wrapped stainless steel and copper wire, 62” W X 50” H, Photo: Noel Hodnett.
'Kanagawa' pays homage to the Japanese wood print artist Hokusai whose depictions of the 'Great Wave' have become iconic. These wood prints rely heavily on repeated elements to capture the nature of the rolling waves. As repeated element are very prevalent in knitting, knitted silk-wrapped stainless steel was an appropriate medium for creating the piece that was animated by lacing a silver-plated wire armature.
2012, Hand-knit silk-wrapped stainless steel, silver-plated wire and acrylic medium, 24” W X 63” H, Photo: Noel Hodnett.
Endangered was inspired by the reports that so many species are going extinct and what this might mean to our existence on earth. In British Columbia, Canada the seaside centipede lichen is one of these species. This piece emphasizes the remoteness of the species to the perceived impacts on our daily lives juxtapositioned to the loss of the complexity in the worldwide ‘DNA bank’ that has taken 3.5 billion years to evolve.
2016, Hand-knit and loomed silk-wrapped stainless steel and knit and felted merino wool, copper and silver-plated wire, metal grommets, rag paper, and acrylic paint, 2’ W X 10.5’ L, Photo: Noel Hodnett.
Seaside Centipede Lichen Bowls are a detail maquette for the piece Endangered. They were also shown in the exhibition Fabric+ations, June 2016 celebrating the 30th anniversary of Diana Sanderson’s Silk Weaving Studio and the 100th anniversary of Granville Island, Canada where the studio is situated. Constructed from metal threads and wire, it represents the transition between the industrial past and the current artisan and craft culture that exists on the island today.
2016, Silk-wrapped stainless steel, silver-plated and copper wire, and acrylic medium 5” H X 4” D and 4” D X 3” H, Photo: Noel Hodnett.
The Gaia Collection focuses on elements in nature that support the continuity of life, and in this specific example, Gaia I, the role of cultivated flowers such as the rose for restoring mental peace. Based on the shape of the oval mandala, each piece in the series honors the sacred feminine revered by ancient peoples around the world and across time.
Adrift pays homage to the many epic voyages by ancient mariners on primitive sailing vessels lashed together and launched upon the trade winds. The universal shape and details of construction are the premise of the design executed using basketry techniques and birch twigs and silk.
2010, Woven birch twigs and silk, 7" W X 63" L, Photo: Noel Hodnett.
Sulpher Fumerole Bowl is one in a series of works on volcanic activity resulting in lace-like sediments. The pieces depict the delicacy and fragility of crystal structures produced by the volcano juxtapositioned against the caustic toxic chemistry and infernal temperatures of the volcanic activity. The base of the piece is felted with merino wool and silk from which silk is knitted and embellished with silk worm cocoons, beads and wire.
2015, Tussah silkworm cocoons, silk, merino wool, semi-precious , crystal and glass beads, silver-plated stainless steel armature, various craft wires and acrylic medium, 22” D X 15” H, Photo: Noel Hodnett
'Where the Earth Meets the Sky' depicts the clouds merging into the mountains. This blurring of the skyline is typical in the rainforest climate surrounding the coastal mountains of British Columbia, seen from the city of Vancouver, Canada. This piece is currently on view in the Vancouver International Airport (YVR).
2014, Hand-knit silk-wrapped stainless steel, felted merino, wool and silk, silver-plated stainless steel wire and acrylic medium, 13” H X 22” D, Photo: Thibault Bennett.
On slightly overcast mornings when the moon is full and low on the horizon there is a haze that surrounds the moon as though it is wearing a halo. In those moments I’m reminded of its place in many ancient agrarian cultures as representative of the feminine as counter point to the energy of the male sun. Luna is an interpretation of that notion with all its soft fullness.
2012, Jacob’s and merino wool, silk and acrylic medium, 12” Dia X 1.5” Depth, Photo: Noel Hodnett.
Decoding the Brain was created for the Brain Project conceived by the BayCrest Foundation in Toronto, Canada to fund raise for Alzheimer’s research. It taps into my background in neuroscience research, rich experience staining various neurons for analysis as well as expertise in epigenetics. It proved to be an enjoyable interface between the science, art and social awareness. It was placed in Nathan Phillip Square for the summer and is now at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto until auction on Oct 17, 2016.
2016, Merino wool, silk, silk-wrapped stainless steel, mylar, copper wire and semi-precious, glass and crystal beads, white glue, acrylic paint 2.5’ L X 1.5’ H, Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid.
