Gut Counterpart from the Louvre's Roman ExhibitionThe miles of gut were delivered this morning. Sheep and hog. It is beautiful and will make the best little sculptures. There is enough of it for me to weave or knit but I'm not sure I can stomach it without a wet suit of something. Now isn't the time to get squeemish.
There were also some collagen casing delivered for me to try. I have unraveled a string of it and it looks perfect for stitching. I'll do some experiments on it this afternoon to see how it works with image transfers etc.
I will be washing and clipping for the whole morning. First, I need to run out and get a new package of gloves, some groceries and some fresh air.
Yesterday's work is the most successful yet. It is a very deeply carved globe with holes large enough for a baby finger. The working and reworking made the whole emulsion very dense and hard. It is starting to feel like bone. The inside was foiled first and it has a slight shimmer through the holes like abalone or something. I might stick a thin paint brush in and see it I can hit it with some soft green interference. There was the possibility of blasting it with an ivory to bone acrylic last night but the sun brings out the beautiful details this morning.
I feel so much better today. The kitchen fairy (me) swamped the dishes, cleaned the living room and swept the floor. I reminded my feminist self that Tim went out and earned the money for my emulsions and gut and built the light boxes. So this isn't giving in... it is a labour exchange.
10 comments:
Just out of curiousity--how DO you get the gut????? Do you place an order? Is it something a butcher donates to "that crazy artist woman"?I don't want any---i just want to know :}
MwahHaHa! I wait for passersby!
Really...
I had a butcher who saved it for me a few times, then he made me buy it. Now I order it from Stuffers in Langley because I need miles of it.
It comes pre-salted and clean and I only have to spend a little time conditioning it.
I learned how to use it from Lyn Fabio from Whitehorse...see Fibrearts magazine, from living up north with Dene people and from Jill Nordsfor Clark.
The Fins, Greenlanders and Inuit make amazing things with walrus gut and salmon skins.
And how does one "condition" gut? Oil of Olay? Crisco? A lot of handling?
It can be used without conditioning as long as it has all the salt washed out of it.
Different methods are used including a second soaking in salt.
Keeping it moist is important.
After it is dry people use stuff like show polish oils and wax. Bear grease isn't an option here.
I use silicate powders to keep it dry, the biggest challenge in moist climates. Objects are stored in boxes with them to keep rotting from happening.
This isn't a challenge in dry climates. They need to be oiled a bit to keep them from cracking.
Someone told me they use hair conditioner but I think it makes it stink and cause a residue and blooms.
I handle objects with gloves to prevent bacteria and such from invading them although that might make nice colours.
Thanks P--this is fascinating, as i've never had contact or experience or known anyone who uses these mediums.
I'm so excited to find this post. I actually just picked up my first bag of hog gut yesterday. I plan on experimenting with it tomorrow and Saturday. I've been trying to figure out how to prep it for working with and also how to keep it from rotting once you get the salt off. Thank you so much for your detailed process discription.
Are you going to be weaving with it? Is that why you need it so long? It will be exciting to see what you create.
I wish you the best of luck on your project.
Kirsten.
I keep the hog gut in a very cold fridge or re-freeze it a few times before it is past the point of working. I certainley wont work with stuff that stinks. It will rot very quickly even when dry.
When gut dries it becomes very thin. It also is very strong. The gut can be split when fresh and shredded later to make long strips.
It can be woven on a hoop or over cardboard. It is really really sloppy if it left withoout a backing.
Experiment and let me know.
Again use gloves if you aren't using new gut. Just think of it as crafting with old meat...Try to clean the salt off only the amount you think you will need. Wash your surfaces carefully after using. It is gut and may contain some e-coli or salmonella.
The casings from Stuffers are really clean.
Thank you so much for such a great follow up comment.
It is really fresh and in theory clean and salted... looks to be.
I think I will just take a little out and freeze the rest for now so it doesn't go bad.
Thanks again!
P, someone just suggested that i use hog gut in some of my new heart work--how is it after it's been dried and "aged", as in a finished piece that's been around for awhile? Does it deteriorate or start smelling again? Does it harden enough that it becomes a permanent fixture/effect on the work?
Where did you get the collagen and was it very expensive?
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