Ragnhild Monsen Art

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Intratråd -01

INTRATRÅD

Artist’s choice of the term

Throughout much of human history thread has been used as a means of communication, of expressing the culture of a people. Indeed, there is a strong tradition that the first alphabet was formed from the geometric symbols found in a spider’s web. Weaving looms are one of the oldest tools known to mankind. Nearly every culture in the world developed around what kind of fabrics they wove. In Norway we are rightly proud of the fashion and style of the unique bunad which tells of the area, landscape, culture of the community from which it comes.

Decorative or artistic weaving has a long and honourable tradition within Scandinavia.

The term Intratråd is a play on a modern form of communication that almost everyone uses – intranet. When you connect to the internet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP) you are effectively using an intranet. When you enter a chatboard or similar you enter a ‘discussion thread’.

So you can see that thread, weaving, clothing, have been forms of communication from ancient times. The clothes you wear speak of the type of message you wish to give about your personality, character, feelings.

I do nothing more than utilise my knowledge with textile to create a form of communication of an idea, a concept, a perception. It is not a methodology that most people do as the disciplines of textile work demand certain understandings about colour, form and the suitability of materials.

As with the spider’s web that comes from within the spider, so my expressions of my art come from within me. Intra means from within.