Rose Pearlman
Counter-Space
January 11-March 5
Counter: demoting movement or effect in the opposite direction.
Space: an area that is free or unoccupied.
Counter-Space: the physical space of tabletops and surfaces and the objects they contain.
Punch needle rug hooking, consisting of hundreds to thousands of densely packed loops, traditionally results in durable, functional objects. Created with a handheld rug hook or punch needle, small stitches of fiber are created slowly and methodically. While the imagery depicted in rugs is a matter of artistic expression, the construction of items meant for practical everyday use involves specific technical guidelines and materials.
The wall hangings move away from utility and become ornamental, as I explore the fragility of a single hooked line, and find the balance between negative and positive space. While my rugs no longer serve a functional purpose, the technique is still deeply rooted in the knowledge and skill of this medium’s rich history.
Rug hooking roots are linked to a tradition of resourcefulness for domestic life that dates back to the early 19th century of the New England coast and Maritime Canada. This craft has been lovingly preserved and improved upon, thanks to generations of women and men who have adapted tools, restored rugs, and passed down the teaching and practices of those who came before them.
With this exhibit “Counter-Space”, I explore a modern approach to making rugs, letting go of the restrictions and rules that come with making useful objects.
In creating my hooked wall hangings, I used rug wool and uncommon materials such as deconstructed plastic bags and butcher’s twine. These materials pay homage to rug hooking resourceful roots and sustaining practices where repurposed clothing and burlap grain sacks were once used. In my reinterpretation of "domestic spaces,” I use the double-entendre “counter-space” to depict an abstracted still-life scene of everyday clutter on tabletops and surfaces. By removing color and flattening dimensional planes, I have stripped away the disorderly household mess and replaced it with a simplified version that focuses on the contrasting positive and negative spaces and the reductive organic and geometric shapes that are inherent within.
