My New Commission

A recently completed commission, 

thread on almost invisible white wedding tulle. 

This is it up backed with white linen.

Some details against other backgrounds. Since it is on invisible fabric, the framing possibilities are endless. This allows room for collaboration and personalisation in the process.

So I talked about the tears. Here's the blood.

So these two have been on quite an epic journey so far, they were the charge in a magnet sculpture called 'Fusion', for New Orleans first biennial, Prospect 1. They were then arched over a rainbow in 'Light Perspective' for the show 'Beware of Embroidery' at the PM Gallery in London, which then became a 1 night installation for Flesh & Bone at Dalston Superstore and finally reinvented for Dalston Superstore show 'Breathe In. Breathe Out.' as the 'Epigenetics'. Entertaining the idea that we have the power to change our own genetics by the way we live.

It really makes me think about the power of having children later and being able to have the chance to iron out some crap, having a greater chance to make some fixes, I wonder what the effects of epigenetics will have on those born to older couples, will they be better off?
hmmm,
just something I have been pondering, as well as thoughts like, what would the Earl of Sandwich think if he saw how popular his invention was and other stuff, I won't bore you with
...yet...

Well they are for sale, these two lovelies, they are £1000 each and in the spirit of keeping them together £1600 for the pair. I will remention that I am happy to work out a financial arrangement, where you may pay 30% up front and then 10% each month for 7 months. It makes it a little easier and I want you to be able to have a chance of owning them if you haven't got a big wedge stashed.

Here are some pictures from their previous incarnations...

I do love a window sticker I do

Interview with Dalston Superstore

http://dalstonsuperstore.com/features/louise-riley/

Interview with LIONHEART MAGAZINE!

http://www.lionheart-mag.com/art-craft/2013/08/interview-louise-riley

The making of BREATHE IN. BREATHE OUT.

Tears

Breathe In. Breathe Out. has within it the representation of blood sweat and tears. 

This chandelier represents the tears. 

It was a leap of faith to make, especially the one pictured first as it was quite a progression from the others and wasn't really planned, I just went with the flow when I was so in the thick of it, that there was no time for pause, fear or wonder, its dive in or the idea dies, so I just did it and it made me feel really electric, one of those golden force moments. 

When I put the whole thing together in the wee hours of the morning before the opening, I had to leave the room, I was vulnerable with extreme tiredness and It was so beautiful in the dim light of my living room that my heart started to beat really fast and I had to watch a Mork and Mindy in the other room to calm down. I couldn't believe I had done it. When I proposed all this work with a month to make it, I feared this would be cast to the wayside, because it was so time consuming, but it was so vital! So I made it my 'at home work', so if I was home from the studio, which wasn't often, this is what I was doing and not a moment was wasted. 

Tears were such a present part of making all this work. I didn't make the work, just humming along quietly. I thrashed at it and against it, I cried all the time, in joy and despair, almost every time I actually stopped for a moment, I wept with exhaustion and worry. Everytime I triumphed the tears flowed. I bloodied my knees, pricked my finger, sliced my thumb and glued it together with superglue, because there simply wasn't time for all that. I purged alongside the work and my oh my did I sweat, especially while sewing inside the teleportation tunnel, it was basically like being covered in cling film, in this humid weather in my already too warm studio and the lugging, I would fid myself repeating in my head, donkey mum, donkey artist and dreampt of a time where i would leave the house with a key in my bra and just float away. 

This isn't a sad piece, it is the acknowledgement of emotion,within the cycle of our existence. The release of this energy, allowing us to move.

Teleportation

Birth, Death, and every little rebirth and little death in between.

Breathe In. Breathe Out.

Curated by: Saskia Wickins

PRIVATE VIEW: THURSDAY 11^TH JULY 2013

EXHIBITION RUN: 12^TH JULY – 18^TH AUGUST 2013

For all press enquiries: art@dalstonsuperstore.com

Dalston Superstore is proud to welcome artist Louise Riley with her second solo exhibition Breath In. Breath Out. 

It will showcase the evolution of her latest bodies of work including drawings, installation and sculpture that are an intersection of science-fiction and humanity. 

Riley celebrates and collaborates with the language of objects and familiar symbols, their infinite layers of meaning emboldened by her unique exploration of embroidery.

A self-taught embroidery artist, there is the essence of the outsider artist, untampered by the machine of art school and driven by an obsessive nature.

Riley believes that each stitch holds not only a DNA-like essence with the spiral running through the thread, but also a binary quality with-in the presence and absence, representing structured organic and technological information as the building blocks for the pieces. Combined with the texture and the imperfect line, holding the essence of the true wily nature of emotions, Riley feels embroidery holds everything within it. These grandiose ideas are what get her through the long hours.

Art enthusiasts will witness live performance by artists including Riley during the private view as they demonstrate the possibilities of transportation in the installation, ‘Teleportation Tunnel” to create seamlessness between process, the work and the spectator.  

For all press enquiries: Saskia Wickins

Curator of Dalston Superstore

art@dalstonsuperstore.com

A happy go lucky little film made along the way - 'HANDY TELESCOPE'

FILM STILL on EBAY!

I am selling this piece on EBAY, this is a one off opportunity to own something of mine for, well, a price that 

you dictate.


Bidding has started at 99p! *gasp*

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FILM-STILL-embroidery-on-a-mattress-by-LOUISE-RILEY-/161014537861?pt=UK_Art_OtherArt_RL&hash=item257d36de85



Here is the story of why I am selling it:




This piece is called ‘Film Still’.




It is a portrait of my best friend Mariaflora Papapanagiotou, that I made in 2007. I met 

Mariaflora in 2002, the same night that I met my future husband and father of my child 

and three other lifelong friends and collaborators. It was an utterly life-changing day. 

Admittedly it was not love at first sight for us, I thought Mariaflora was terrifying and she 

thought I was pointless. It was art and the thirst to create that brought us together and in 

a bar in Soho in a dark smoky tunnel we shared our history, united on our romantic and 

lateral perspectives of the world and built a home in each other.


God I am actually weeping now.


Only because these friendships are so rare and precious and sometimes it takes the path 

of time to realise that. There are seas between us now. When she first moved away, I was 

shopping for a replacement, but over time I realised that that was it, that was something 

special right there and I was lucky to be part of it.

Mariaflora is getting married. Her future husband is my friend too, he is compassionate, 

sincere and great company and he really gets her (as well as being a complete babe). 

Basically everything you wish for your best friend.



This piece was the absolute turning point in my career as an artist, I found this mattress at 

the side of the road, with my 8 month old daughter asleep in her pram. I stood at the side 

of the road for what felt like an age. After becoming a mother I didn’t really know where I 

stood as an artist, was it time to move on and dedicate my life to my beautiful daughter, or 

should I fight even harder to be everything and did I have the energy and strength to do 

that? I stood at the side of the road and knew that if I didn’t drag this skanky old mattress 

into my family home then art was over for me, if I did do it, then I had to really rise up as 

an artist, if I was going to have something come between my daughter and I then it had to 

be really worth it.



I chose to go for it.



I dragged it home and I worked 9 days in a sleepless starving intense frenzy, unearthing 

this piece from the depths of the mattress and in some ways it is the best piece I have 

ever made.



It has been on a journey with me. It has been to New Orleans, it has been in the New 

York Times, its in the book PUSH Stitchery, it has been tumbling through tumblr over 2500 

times and I made a film with it.


But now it is time to let it go. Mine and Mariafloras relationship has always thrived on 

poetry and this is to celebrate that, to let our past friendship go full circle and be 

supporting our present lives, that the times we spend together and being in that moment is 

pure happiness and the memories of those times when they move into the past are utterly 

precious.



I am still an artist and times are tough, my god, I am literally skimming through and 

growing grey hairs in the process. But my daughter and I have to be there for her wedding 

and be able to be 100% present. I need to BE there, support her in any way I can to make 

this the most beautiful, heartfelt wedding and I cannot let her down in this, you only get 

one shot right?



So I am selling this piece and though the thought at times gives me heart palpitations, it 

feels like the best solution. I want you to know that bidding on it, you are not just bidding 

on a piece of art, you are supporting love in every way.

Slow Dance Party

Since my work explores connection and dynamic, what I am working on is a sweet and logical follow on, but it is definitely somethings different. I am creating a night called Slow Dance Party. Here are the invites and poster and the commercial that I have been having too much fun making. Please come!

Dear Beating Hearts,

I first came up with the idea on a residency in the secluded hills of California. We were six ladies, making sculptures, films and exchanging ideas, in the most beautiful surroundings. I thought we should ship up some men to slow dance with us, since we were just so tender, from working hard, bruised from heartbreak and making mistakes (me), fully flowing from laughing, it just seemed like the perfect idea. I just imagined us swaying around the barn, with handsome and gentle cowboys, that smelled of mild b.o and the wind.

After that collecting Slow Dance Party music became something of an obsession and I definitely waffled on about my ideas for it to more than a few friends, but determined for the event to reach fruition and not slip into the anals of history, like The Dalston Whistling Club, here it is:

Have you noticed:

That people smell so good and so different?

That you nearly cry when the hairdresser massages your head?

That you want romance but its not always that easy to organise it?

Everything is so fast these days?

It’s been a while since you slow-danced?

Come and get close at:

Slow Dance Party

30th March 9pm-2am

£5 in advance £7 before 10pm, £8 after

Time to just grab someone and feel the heat of their body

Time to dance with strangers, your husband/wife, your best friend or your sister. 

Its cold outside and we all need to stay warm. 

Beautiful and lovingly collected slow music crossing through genres 

from the past to the future

This is everything for everyone

Live bands and moving and melting projections to make the heart thump

Bring your love, bring your pals, but most of all,

bring your open arms and melting heart.

Invites.

Download them and send them to the person you want to slow dance with.

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE!


Post a comment if you buy a ticket, so I can pop a party popper to celebrate!


A SPOTIFY SLOW DANCE PLAYLIST