How indigo really works

Helen Melvin's blog today gives a link to a really interesting article on the way indigo "works".  The article is translated from the Japanese, but, despite some quaint phrasing, is very clear and contains some beautiful hand drawn diagrams which illustrate the underlying chemical processes.  The diagrams show exactly how the indigo gets into the fibres and sticks there, and also explain why natural indigo is brighter than the synthetic form.  Click here to go to the online article.  Even if you have no knowledge of chemistry you will find this easy to understand.  The author is to be congratulated on communicating so well in a "foreign" language.
AC

Snow across the UK

I have managed to get out this morning and walked - very slowly - down the 1in3 hill into the village.  It isn't quite as cold at the moment, but there is a LOT of snow.  The road through Llanfair itself is covered in crumbly snow and the main road into Abergele is clear.  The main road into Llansannan is not good.  I have cancelled our booking for the Community Centre (just in case you were wondering).

Here are a few photographs to add to the stacks of images on the internet featuring Britain in the Snow, 2010.  If any Guild members have photos to show, please add them to the Picasa Web Album page, or email them to me to add. Click on the link to see some more images.

 

More tales from the riverbank

It stopped raining before Christmas, just in time to freeze and snow.  This afternoon we had a blizzard which blocked all the main roads in a matter of minutes and even the normally mild coastal areas were wiped out for a time.  (The single track side roads inland have been impassable for weeks).  In LlanfairTH we had up to 9 inches of snowfall in about 3 hours, so, unsurprisingly, our meeting tomorrow is CANCELLED.  If I can get out of the house in the morning I will post some photos.  In the meantime, here is a nice cheery and unsnowy picture of a touch of hoarfrost on ivy.

AC

"Ancestor Bags" by Sue Hiley Harris at MOMA Wales

Hilary, Lynn and Alison travelled through the storms to Machynlleth yesterday to hear Sue Hiley Harris talk about her work, and to see her installation "Ancestor Bags" at MOMAWales.  Fortunately most of the flood water has subsided in North Wales, but the river was almost up to the top of the arches of the bridge just outside Machynlleth.  Generally, it is still very wet and there is standing water on most of the roads.  However, the exhibition and the talk were well worth the journey.
Sue weaves in three dimensions, producing uniquely sculptural work underpinned by a strong conceptual sense.  "Ancestor Bags" investigates her own family history with its' roots in the UK and in Australia: the installation comprises a series of suspended woven pieces turning slowly in the air & casting complex shadows on the gallery walls.  Each piece represents an individual ancestor with encoded biographical information woven into the texture of the fabric.  Sue talked in fascinating detail about her work and her research into the family history, and explained the mathematically-derived code hidden within each piece.  As in all the best art, this code enhances the work but the exhibition can be enjoyed without understanding how to decipher the hidden messages.  The exhibition is both intensely personal to the artist and immediately accessible to the audience.  A real success, and we enjoyed the experience very much.  The exhibition continues until the end of the week, after which it will travel to Australia, and possibly also to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford - well worth a visit.
The lecture took place in the very grand Tabernacl (Chapel) which gives the gallery its' other name.  Unfortunately the gallery "café" didn't sell food of any description apart from a couple of small cakes and some shortbread.  Rather a shame, as we were intending to treat ourselves to a nice lunch out!
AC

Tales from the Riverbank

After nearly a week of continual rain, the Elwy Valley at LlanfairTalhaearn is doing its' job as a flood plain.  The roads are blocked from here to everywhere, and not even the ambulance can get through.  Fire Brigade, Police and Highways men (N.B. not Highwaymen) have been out all morning, and now the main road is officially closed.  Several houses and the village carparks are under feet of water despite the best efforts of four Fire Appliances, and, although the Community Centre is protected by a good stone wall, the water is beginning to percolate up through the earth into the enclosure.  So, unsurprisingly, our afternoon meeting has been cancelled.  AC.

     

We met yesterday afternoon, and were very glad to be inside as it was raining stair-rods outside (or, translated from the Welsh:  raining old ladies with walking sticks).  Despite the rain we had a near record attendance for a week day, which was really great even if it did make it difficult to speak to everyone.  We were also glad to welcome Helen Melvin as a guest (with her posh Lendrum spinning wheel).