Close Quarters at
canzani center gallery

Char Norman: Stitched Pods, 2007

Man’s manipulation of nature is both fascinating and horrifying at one time. My work speaks of natural things; poked, prodded, altered to become a tool or object. The delicate seed pods are subjected to stitching which is a somewhat violent act and yet produces a delicate and intricate design. Furthermore, the emulation and imitation of nature is represented in both the handmade paper forms and the drawings.

The paper is a metaphor for the plant forms and the plant forms mimic the paper. Both are of the same natural plant material but contrasted in the forms they take. One casually manipulated through stitching but still basically maintaining its natural form; the other is cooked, beaten, pulverized and altered through an almost violent process to become paper.

The objects can be seen as both an assault and a celebration of nature.