WEAVING
Horizon AS MANDALA Series
The Horizon As Mandala series comprises ten handwoven bands, coiled into wheels, varying in width from 2" to 9” and in length from 144" to 168”. Each in the series is made of hand dyed linen warp and hand spun longwool weft. My interest in longwools derives from the state of many heritage breeds of sheep, which have fallen out of favor due to the fact that industrial machines for processing wool have been created to uniformly process shorter staple length fibers. These longwools can only be processed by hand and reflect an aspect of intangible heritage processes, both in the understanding of the skill needed to spin their fiber and their decreasing number. Longwool breeds are relics of an earlier time and larger cultural knowledge that now exists is largely erased. It is through the work of smaller shepherds and discreet cultural groups who maintain their existence and applied use. People working in fiber are often unwittingly preservationists.The series follows the line of the horizon as it travels around the planet, manifested in the union of earth and sky, conforming to the curvature of the earth. The horizon, in completing a circle, is a mandala. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing the attention of practitioners and adepts as a spiritual guidance tool for establishing a sacred space and as an aid to meditation and trance induction. An inquiry into the nature of inquiry itself, this series demonstrates that what appears obvious is not obvious and possibly quite different from what is seen.