Our last Kick-About was inspired by the Advent Calendar—a prompt that invited us to explore anticipation and twenty-four windows of time. This week we turn our creative gaze towards the Solstice. A point of stillness and transition, the Solstice marks both the longest night and the promise of light’s return. Enjoy this latest collection of new works made in a short time—and for all previous editions of the Kick-About, click here.
Gary Thorne
“It’s a chink of light at this time of year, a hard one to adapt to, with the sun’s exit at 15:48. Knowing of the winter solstice is certainly a kind of promise. That chink played upon my mind until revelation came whilst viewing the NYC and Milan auction sales of Lucio Fontana‘s 1950s work (my decade of birth). What Fontana omitted was to light through the chink, and so I offer at least some innovation.
This is a wall-mounted light box with a wall socket timer. I suggest you set it to ‘on’ and ‘off’, coinciding with winter solstice daylight hours. As the days and months pass, you’ll begin to notice our daylight hours progressively extend beyond the restricted on/off programmed times, perhaps making this work a positive experience, with evidence supporting knowledge of the Earth’s tilt slowly pulling back towards the sun.”
Phil Gomm
‘These photographs of Whitstable beach were taken a few days in advance of the ‘shortest day’, though daylight has been in very short supply, what with the storms battering the UK and the stubborn low grey cloud characterising every waking day of late. I went out at low tide, when I knew what precious light there was would be bouncing off the exposed mud/silt/sand and the racks of the oyster beds would be visible. It was freezing cold, my hands going the pink colour of champagne rhubarb, but as luck would have it, a redoubtable dog-walker and his happy black labrador struck out towards the horizon, bringing some much-needed life to these wintry scenes.’
Graeme Daly
“I had a few ideas for this Kick-About. I decided to focus on the Winter Solstice and the feeling of how the moon is often the only semblance of light. The photos were taken both recently and in the past, with a makeshift rendering of a moon superimposed for dramatic effect. Since these photos are based in Ireland, where there is a rich history and folklore surrounding the Solstice, I thought it fitting. In certain photographs, I chose to enhance the spiritual nature by playing with light and colour.“
@graemedalyart / vimeo.com/graemedaly / linkedin.com/in/graeme-daly / twitter.com/Graeme_Daly / gentlegiant.blog
Marion Raper
“So, we will soon be at the Winter Solstice—the longest night of the year. A time to celebrate the beginning of the end of winter and the return of lighter days—hopefully. I had in mind creating icy layers of tissue collage with a hint of sun tinting the mountain tops. But, as usual, I got a bit carried away—why would anything change? What I envisage and what actually evolves on the paper are never quite the same. Just like we dream of wonderful sunny days to come—it’s what keeps us going, after all!“
Kerfe Roig
“I was unaware of the Hopi Winter Solstice celebration, Soyal, until I started wandering the internet for ideas for this prompt. Soyal welcomes the Kachinas from their home in the mountains as they bring the sun back to the Hopi people, “establishing a new life for the world.” I’ve always been attracted to the Kachina spirits and the doll-like figures and costumes created by the Hopi to embody them. They represent animals, plants, the elements, the landscape, the cosmos, and the weather—essentially all aspects of life. Feathers are prominent in their design. The actual ceremony is secret, and the complex symbolism of Kachinas belongs to the Hopi belief system. However, I see a connection with the birdlings and decided to use the Kachina spirits as inspiration for some Solstice birdlings. The Black Plumed Serpent is central to the Solstice ceremony, so I created one akin to a winged dragon. I’m also really drawn to the Chasing Star Spirit—both for its association with the cosmos and because the Hopi also have a Blue Star Kachina. The Blue Star Kachina is prophesied to appear and signal the beginning of a New World after this one is destroyed by humans. A spirit of rebirth feels fitting for the return of light and the New Year. The birdlings I made are Falcon (symbolising the sun), Crow Mother (the Guardian of Children), Owl (the keeper of wisdom and the night), and Hummingbird (the messenger). I also incorporated butterfly wings (healing) into each one.”
kblog.blog / methodtwomadness.wordpress.com
Tom Beg
“When looking at how the sun has been portrayed in art, I came across the technique of solarigraphy, a form of long-exposure photography that captures the sun’s path across the sky. It produces a rather cool lo-fi and highly surreal effect in the resulting images. I set out to recreate the aesthetic in a more abstract form, trying to evoke the effect of a moving light source burning itself onto a piece of film.”
James Randall
“Nice to acknowledge the ebb and flow of our time spent with the sun. Of course, we exist in parallel solstice zones of the northern and southern hemispheres, so I began with that—toying with simple shapes, colours, and photos. Then I lost the plot, playing with twisty lines and circles before thinking about the solstice point in a human’s existence and adding a few more bits and pieces. Thanks, Phil, for a year of expanded thinking and playing, and to the other kids in the sandpit for playing nicely!”
Charly Skilling
“A bit of silliness for the KA”
And for when your new Christmas toys lose their lustre and their batteries run down, here is the work of Uruguayan artist, Joaquín Torres-García to keep you amused.
Red's Kingdom 
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