Beaded Artworks
Tamlin Blake is one of the key figures in developing contemporary bead
imagery in South Africa. While developing her own style, a detailed
method of weaving without a loom, she helped to establish a workshop
with Jeanetta Blignaut ,where contemporary artists can collaborate with a studio of beaders to produce large artworks using various techniques.
Tamlin's fascination with glass seed beads began on her return to South Africa after a two year stay in Ireland. Of particular interest was their history as trade objects between Africa and the West and their use as an art medium.
In southern Africa beadwork has become a defining feature of cultural identity and also refers to the history of colonization. As an art medium beads symbolize the historic links between Europe and Africa, relationships between black and white and for the artist, a process of re-assessing and analyzing one’s cultural and spiritual belonging as a South African.
The following extract was taken from the artist's statement for a solo exhibition, Change of Address, held at the Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town in 2004:
"My current work reflects my fascination with southern African beadwork and Zulu 'love letters' in particular. Traditionally Zulu 'love letters' are made by women for the men they love or admire. They represent a transfer of information from one individual to another and convey emotions including love, concern, devotion and jealousy.
More broadly speaking, in many southern African cultures beadwork was, and still is, an indication of Shamanistic power, status, wealth or religious belief. Beadwork can indicate age, marital status or regional origin. From the 1830's onwards small glass beads became available in increasing numbers from Europe and became a defining feature of African traditional dress including that of the Zulu, Swazi, Ndebele, San, Sotho and Xhosa. Beads also represent the history of colonization as southern Africa received beads from Dutch Traders in the 17th and 18th Centuries and English traders from the 18th Century on.
My beadworks are re-workings of images from my childhood, more specifically from my childhood stamp collection. These stamps, like the beads, refer to the transfer of information and the control of communication. I have chosen these small, familiar and detailed objects as representative of the images which formed part of my visual experience as a 'white' child growing up in a segregated country. Images which seemed to represent complex concepts like 'truth' and 'reality'. They form part of the process through which I find myself analyzing my identity as a South African. They also refer to place and location and while 'Change of Address' refers to personal growth and change it also encompasses South Africa's change of 'place'.
The beaded portraits refer more specifically to the concept of families, a sense of belonging and cultural or community identity. Using beads as the medium opens up conceptual links between Western religious imagery and tribal ancestor worship. The labour intensive nature of bead weaving becomes a form of meditation and worship. Links can also be made between the importance of family and cultural life in tribal communities and the reassessing of my own cultural and spiritual belonging."
Tamlin's fascination with glass seed beads began on her return to South Africa after a two year stay in Ireland. Of particular interest was their history as trade objects between Africa and the West and their use as an art medium.
In southern Africa beadwork has become a defining feature of cultural identity and also refers to the history of colonization. As an art medium beads symbolize the historic links between Europe and Africa, relationships between black and white and for the artist, a process of re-assessing and analyzing one’s cultural and spiritual belonging as a South African.
The following extract was taken from the artist's statement for a solo exhibition, Change of Address, held at the Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town in 2004:
"My current work reflects my fascination with southern African beadwork and Zulu 'love letters' in particular. Traditionally Zulu 'love letters' are made by women for the men they love or admire. They represent a transfer of information from one individual to another and convey emotions including love, concern, devotion and jealousy.
More broadly speaking, in many southern African cultures beadwork was, and still is, an indication of Shamanistic power, status, wealth or religious belief. Beadwork can indicate age, marital status or regional origin. From the 1830's onwards small glass beads became available in increasing numbers from Europe and became a defining feature of African traditional dress including that of the Zulu, Swazi, Ndebele, San, Sotho and Xhosa. Beads also represent the history of colonization as southern Africa received beads from Dutch Traders in the 17th and 18th Centuries and English traders from the 18th Century on.
My beadworks are re-workings of images from my childhood, more specifically from my childhood stamp collection. These stamps, like the beads, refer to the transfer of information and the control of communication. I have chosen these small, familiar and detailed objects as representative of the images which formed part of my visual experience as a 'white' child growing up in a segregated country. Images which seemed to represent complex concepts like 'truth' and 'reality'. They form part of the process through which I find myself analyzing my identity as a South African. They also refer to place and location and while 'Change of Address' refers to personal growth and change it also encompasses South Africa's change of 'place'.
The beaded portraits refer more specifically to the concept of families, a sense of belonging and cultural or community identity. Using beads as the medium opens up conceptual links between Western religious imagery and tribal ancestor worship. The labour intensive nature of bead weaving becomes a form of meditation and worship. Links can also be made between the importance of family and cultural life in tribal communities and the reassessing of my own cultural and spiritual belonging."
