So, I just got back from hubby Matt's monthly art opening (he curates for a gallery in town), and while I was looking at a piece from a previous show, I wondered why it is that certain pieces really grab my attention and make me go back for second or third or tenth looks. What I decided is that I'm drawn to those pieces not only because they are well-made, but because they're just mysterious enough to spark something in my own imagination.This is the piece I was looking at, "Ayatoriebi" by Japanese artist, Kana Ohtsuki. And now I've gotta know:
Why are those strings interlaced? What's making those bubbles? What is that liquid she's standing in? Why does she have a pair of scissors on her waist? And the shrimp and butterflies...what do they have to do with it?
And then it happens. Suddenly my head is filled with scenes and stories and plot twists based on that one vivid image... which I guess is how I tend to write anyway. I usually get one shining little scene that pops into my head, and then I have to know the rest of the story.
Consider this post a sneak preview, because beginning this Saturday I will be starting a weekly feature about "art that makes me wanna write a book". Each week, I'll post a new piece guaranteed to send someone to daydreamland!
P.S., anybody got an idea about the shrimp? I'm still trying to work out whether it's a villian or a hero...
7 comments:
I am very excited about this weekly feature!! Me? I'm wondering why her hair is flying up like that....
Great piece. I thing the butterfly took hold of her hair and pulled it up. In my head the butterflies are the villains, but I haven't decided on the shrimp.
What a great addition to your blog! I love the idea of using art to draw inspiration for novels and I can't wait to see what you offer us.
As for the shrimp? Maybe she's the daughter of a fisherman??? Weak, I know.
How interesting! I love finding stories in pictures.
Lisa and Laura: not weak at all! That might just be the perfect sort of seemingly mundane place the story starts... until those evil butterflies start wrecking her life!
(thanks Southpaw, now I'm sort of creeped out by butterflies...)
sis again-- do you know what the title means? Ayatori is Cat's Cradle--you know, the game you play with string. Broom, cat's whiskers, stuff like that. The title translates " Cat's Cradle Shrimp". All Japanese kids play ayatori--koshi, teddy, and cici do, too. You can do it by yourself, or two people taking turns picking the string off the other person's fingers into different shapes. I wonder whether the girl in the picture isn't maybe doing futari ayatori (two-person cat's cradle). Or?
Oh! Now that totally makes sense... I mean kind of-- it explains the shape of the strings anyway :-)
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