Our last Kick-About together was inspired by the Perseid meteor shower—a dazzling display of celestial lights streaking across the sky. Asteroids, meanwhile, was an iconic arcade game released in 1979, capturing imaginations with its simple, vector-based graphics, and the aesthetic of computer games inspires this week’s creative muse, textile artist Melissa Cody. Enjoy this latest showcase of ‘new works made in a short time’, and for all previous editions of The Kick-About, go here.
Kerfe Roig
“I visited the Melissa Cody exhibit at PS1 a while ago—I don’t remember exactly when, maybe in the summer. What stayed with me, besides the Barbie weaving, was the presence of Spider Woman as a motif throughout. In Navajo stories, Spider Woman, after creating the world, was given the gift of weaving by the Holy People. Taught by Spider Man, who created the first loom, and Spider Woman, who sings the weaving song, the Navajo people continue to pass on the traditions of fibre work to their descendants. I recently took a class where we explored cyanotypes (among other techniques) as elements for collage. I didn’t have the “good” cyanotype paper provided in class, nor a black light to develop the prints. However, I dug up some Sunprint paper I’d bought a long time ago (intending to do “something” with it “sometime”) and used the afternoon sun to develop it—which, luckily, has been abundant lately. I wanted to collage tissue paper over some of the prints but discovered that Sunprints disappear when they come into contact with any liquid, including glue. (That wasn’t the case with the paper we used in class.) I also hoped to incorporate some stitching but ran out of time. Even so, I feel I managed to capture the spirit of Cody’s geometry and her evocation of the First Weaver of the World. I’ve also included an appropriate poem, first published by Silver Birch Press in 2016.“
Weaving the Universe
and
I said:
Here are threads,
here is a frame
to anchor them. Here are
the colors of the earth
and the fibers of living:
Weave them into worlds of pattern,
into a mirror, reflected song.
Poem and art published online by Silver Birch Press 2016
kblog.blog / methodtwomadness.wordpress.com
Tom Beg
“I created random graphical patterns inspired by Navajo-style weaving and then transformed them into 3D to create these abstract landscapes, resembling the patterned surface of a blanket.”
twitter.com/earthlystranger / vimeo.com/tombeg / tombeg.com
Phil Gomm
“I have a cardboard box in my wardrobe full of socks. The socks often escape their confines and proliferate like tribbles. Inspired by the digital glitches and ‘missing pixels’ that feature in Melissa Cody’s wonderful textiles, I decided to scan my socks, while moving them fractionally in different directions; by moving them more quickly I could produce a ‘finer weave’ than if I moved them more slowly. The resulting images are the completed scans.”
Gary Thorne
“Although I have no affinity with console games, I’m excitable when prompted to weave. This week, out came a make-shift cardboard frame, macrame cording from KA #74, a few garden twigs, salvaged bits from the non-recycling bin, and two defunct ikea wooden seat panels. Sadly the diagonal brilliance within the weave of M. Cody is too complex for this novice, and overall I’m left feeling the 70’s have a forever hold on my system.“
Charly Skilling
“As someone who spends a lot of time playing with textiles and patterns, and also spends a fair bit of time playing computer games, Melissa Cody set my brain afire! One of the most traditional techniques of crochet is the ‘Granny Square’—a 4″ or 6″ crochet square, sometimes solid in colour but often depicting a flower or geometric design. Using Granny Squares to create a ‘Match-3’-type design seemed an obvious step, as did creating a border of ‘frequency waves’ and ‘rocket engines,’ rather than the more traditional sea shells and stars. This item is not complete, but I will continue working on it. I do not know whether it will make the transition from “template” to “completed work.” Thanks to Phil for some jiggery-pokery with the photos—I hope you can see what it might look like produced on a grand scale!“
Tony Reeves
“Discovering Melissa Cody’s work has been inspirational. The resemblance to 8-bit computer graphics inspired me to dust off my Amiga 1200, which I’ve been wanting to do for a while. The Amiga only has 4 audio channels, so you have limited scope for extensive compositions. But Cody’s approach to weaving reminded me of my grandad’s old loom, and how the ‘bob’ used to move from left to right again and again. This inspired me to try composing using a simple left-to-right-to-left sequence across the four channels, and in doing so it completely changed how I approached sequencing the sounds. Thinking about how individual threads and colours make up a piece of woven material helped me rethink the music as a pattern of sounds that make up a composition. The music is written on an Amiga A1200 running Octamed 4, which is also triggering a Korg Volca drum machine. Thank you Kick About for another inspiring prompt!“
James Randall
“I loved the Melissa Cody video with her battling nails to play her game—nice to see an artist giggling around her work which I also thought was fun. So I started with a city scape reduced to pattern and no perspective in primary colours but when the Trump news came in I had a spiralling art moment and it all went a bit odd. Lots of layers of stuff with some colour reference to Ms Cody and grateful for the therapy!“
Marion Raper
“I said to my dearly beloved, “I don’t know what I shall do for Phil’s next prompt, as I really don’t have enough time to weave a Navajo blanket at the moment.” To which he replied, “Oh, I think I might have something that could work. I sent off for it, but when it arrived, it was a bit too small for me. It’s in the back of my wardrobe.” This all sounded rather strange to me—though who knows what’s in the back of his wardrobe after 51 years! Anyway, we both trundled over to the wardrobe, and after a few minutes, he pulled out a marvellous little hoodie jacket decorated with a beautiful printed pattern very much in the Navajo style. I was gobsmacked, to say the least. The pattern is remarkably similar to those of the traditional Native American designs, although printing on synthetic material is surely a breeze compared to the ingenuity and time it must take Melissa Cody to create her amazing woven textiles. I really love these beautiful patterns—and I can’t wait to wear my fabulous new hoodie!“
Now remember, don’t go opening all those little doors in one go…
Red's Kingdom 
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