Thursday 11 July 2013

The humble spoon

My first week in Halifax was spent getting to know the city.

My second week has been about getting the bits and pieces needed to explore my ideas and concepts. Continuing my research into pioneering women and domestic spaces, upon my exploration of some of the historic sites I first noticed spoons at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.


Spoons recovered from shipwrecks help archaeologist's identify the ship and the number of crew aboard, as each crew member had their own spoon marked with their initials. The spoon can also assist with dating the shipwreck as the spoons can be identified by the styles produced in particular periods. 
Pretty important stuff for the humble spoon!

Since the humble spoon is so important in identifying shipwrecks I have decided to explore this object in my work. It has strong links to the Maritime. It is a domestic object. It can also be a souvenir.

Table settings apeared again at the Citadel Hill National Historic Site. 
 I like the bent spoon.


Kitchen implements and wood spoons also featured in the Quaker House in Dartmouth.


I have also been sketching the interior scenes of the Quaker House which I plan to integrate with the spoons I create.



At the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is Canada/Nova Scotia's folk artist Maud Lewis's tiny house in which she covered every surface with her bright colours and designs.

image courtesy of Dean Bouchard
image courtesy of bitesizetravel.blogspot.com
Maud's delightful house lacked the modern conveniences of indoor plumbing and electricity but contains a lot of charm, which reflects the personalities of Maud and her husband. More about Maud can be found here.

A sketch of Maud's house.

I also hope to visit during my residency and gather more inspiration and sketches of domestic life at: 
The French Acadian Village
The Highland Village
AND
Green Gables (the house that inspired LM Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. How cool that this place actually exists!)

This week I have been reading:
A short history of Nova Scotia by Dr Ed Whitcomb
A lady of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia 1752 by Laurel Pardy. A fascinating novel based on fact and embellished to describe pioneering life.

If you would like to see more images from my adventures click here.









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