By page 6I had ‘taken the plunge’; I had ‘dived in’ . The swimsuits began to take on the form of an abstract ‘language’ or a game of ‘OXO’ or Noughts and Crosses.I have a feeling ‘crosses’ will become a regular feature in this work.Either that, or the book will become a cross I have to bear.
1930s oxo tin
There is something comforting about old packaging; the designs, the colours: the pure simplicity of the message.No subliminal brain washing here, just straight to the point.
War time Morale Booster
Why should I think of ‘Oxo’? what is influencing me here?Well the influence isn’t far away, it’s only in the kitchen and I see it every day.
oxo advertising mug
I have loads of old advertising stuff, I love the feel of the cold enamel, even the rust can tell a tale of all the seasons it’s seen.Quite a few years ago, I was lucky enough to be able to visit the Robert Opie Museum in Gloucester – a veritable treasure trove of bygone packaging.This museum has now moved to Notting Hill London.A shame, because the location, Gloucester Docks also featured in another favourite of mine, the late TV programme ‘The Onedin Line’.That visit was a double whammy.
Taking the plunge: diving in at the deep end.The crumpled brown paper is mirrored literally with the text ‘Black swimsuit’ and ‘dry and brown’: a bit like your skin when you’ve been in the bath too long (though in my case: pink and wrinkled). You get the idea though? parched: dry versus wet.
Altered Art book p6
Throwing an artist into the mix: David Hockney sprang to mind.He made a series of pool paintings, with paper pulp and printed as monotypes.
hockney-bigger-slpash2
By putting the two pages together (5 and 6) the message is clear: It’s Everlasting Life or nothing.Taking the plunge and trusting the ‘guardians’ seems to imply an act of faith.The book is beginning to reveal what’s going on in my subconscious…exciting!
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