Dancing in the flow of story, unspooling the wisdom of the ages

 

The definition of Unspool -

1: to unwind from a spool <unspool the cable>

2: to execute or present artfully or gracefully <unspooling an intricate tale>

 

Out of the blue one day, I had this vision of a figure dancing on a spool, swirling around, gracefully unwinding the thread.

 

The figure was that of a storyteller, caught in the flow of a story, dancing to the rhythm of the spoken word, deftly following the thread of the intricate tale. 

 

I knew I had to bring this vision to concrete reality. Why?  This image captured for me, what it is like to be in the midst of creative "flow" while telling a story.

 

Quickly, I built a wire figure on top of an antique spool. Then, for several months, let the idea simmer, waiting for a spark of inspiration to present itself. Questions bided patiently, needing to be answered. What materials would I next use? How would I use them?

 

Then, at an estate sale, I found an old book, "Fairy Stories and Fables". It had been given to a young boy, Jack Van Riper from his Uncle Tom and Aunt Gloria on Christmas, 1907. He must have loved the book, it certainly looked liked it had lived a full life!

 

At last an idea! I can use the pages from this book to paper mache' onto my figure, thereby preserving them (in a way). However, the pages were rather crispy and stained. Would they be stable enough to paper mache' onto my figure? Oh my, and what about the illustrations? They were so lovely and special too, I wanted to not let those be lost to time. How could I use those?

 

After doing a test sample, I learned that I could carefully manipulate the old pages with the paper mache' goo, BUT I had to go slowly. Also, I decided to use the illustrations for the dress, but first I lightly colored them, hoping to add extra focus to their presence.

 

My finished, 31" tall figure appears to be female, though this happened more by accident than anything else - it could be either sex. Also, the face is purposely undeveloped. I want the viewer to assign a face that is relevant to their memories, experiences, cultural group...etc.

 
Dancing in the flow of story, unspooling the wisdom of the ages.

Overall, I am pleased with the result. Is it perfect? No, and that is okay.