Whilst on Susak I visited a tiny museum in the old town dedicated to the traditional dress of the island. Each of the Croatian islands have a completely different style of dress, the Susak tradition is one of vibrant colour, heavily petticoated skirt with lavish beading and embroidery .
Susak traditional style wedding dress.
Susak traditional style wedding dress.
The pieces above are made of modern materials in the traditional style. There were also some handmade antique examples.
Handmade antique slippers skirt and shirt, Susak.
Antique waistcoat and shirt, Susak.
On my return to the dreary London Summer I was cutting up some dragon fruit for dessert and was instantly reminded of the Susak costumes.
I made this film sketch in my kitchen.
I wanted to capture the colour of the unusual local dress with its clash of fuschia, orange, yellow, red, turquoise, and pink.
Subsequently I was asked to make a short film for Loop film Festival in Barcelona in May 2011 so I remade the film and named it ‘Le Coupe’.
The film recognises the creative energy expended in the kitchen by women making food and pleasing others. For many years I had a great interest in cooking creatively and sharing it with loved ones and friends. Since I have been making sculpture my time making food in the kitchen has diminished to the point where it now holds very little interest for me.
Filming a domestic act, something which is typically ephemeral and fleeting, repositions it as an art form rather than a functional chore.
