Blood on Silk: Field of Flowers reconfigured for the windows of Kandos Projects, Angus Street Kandos NSW Australia 2022

Fiona Davies has reconfigured her 2013 work Blood on Silk Field of Flowers for the four windows of the Kandos Projects Building during the months of August and September 2022. The exhibition is open twenty-four hours a day. The work has previously only been shown in its entirety in Fiona’s survey show at Campbelltown Arts Centre in 2014 that was titled “Blood on Silk/Campbelltown”.

 
This work consists of thirty museum type display units on plinths or padded ottomans. On each will sit three or more hand sewing baskets re-lined with beaded floral fabrics, embroidered flowers, oya or gold paper flowers over the original red, pink or orange linings of the baskets. This work references cultural material brought to the UK by Sir Aurel Stein and his archaeological expeditions, specifically from Dunhuang and Miran in China.  Early textiles including panels of flowers from Buddhist temple canopies were loaned to the British Museum, British Library, the India Office and the V and A.  When in London I was able to research some of the textile material removed by Stein and now in the Victoria and Albert Museum collection. It is though that originally they formed canopies or fields of flowers within Buddhist temples along the silk route.  The sewing baskets formerly held the tools of trade. The relatively low height of the plinths/ ottomans focuses the viewer’s attention onto the bottom or the interior of the basket. These interiors have been relined with flowers.

Blood on Silk: Field of Flowers, 2013, reconfigured for Kandos Projects, canvas, paint, fabrics and found objects, each plinth 60 x 80 x70 cm(h) and painted wall section size variable. Photo Credit Alex Gooding