An Exquisite Backdrop from an emerging textile artist and creator.
It’s those moments when you think you may have seen the future or sense that someone you’ve met is going to become ‘someone’. Being wrong does’t diminish the experience and when it happens, at that time, it reminds you of possibilities. We sometimes forget that possibility is a magical word. It’s a word which sums up the richness of what we can achieve. It has no boundaries and when evoked can bring forth anything.
Elena Sparke is a possibility.
It is also interesting to remind ourselves that every new person we meet is a possibility. I first met Elena when she came to the studio with her children for VISA photos. Her husband Simon had a work contract abroard and they were off to a hot sunny climate for a couple of years.
On their return Simon commissioned me for some business Charactography photos at my studio and we have been discussung further projects. But the point of possiblity was when he bought from me a session to tutor Elena in some basic photography, geared towards her Textiles MA course.
Elena came back to the studio with examples of the work she was producing for her MA at the University of the Creative Arts and a specific task, to create some images of a major piece which she hoped to win a place in the University’s exhibition. I recently published a blog post on this incredible cloth book. Elena uses extraodinary techniques to dye fabrics and create stunning, tactile art which she learn from Australian textile artist India Flint
For me I saw a commercial applicaiton. Elena’s mindset was completely embroiled within the MA course and not yet having the confidence to see her work on a wider stage, was reluctant to open up to the commercial side. For me though I could see photographers being very interested in the fabulous fabrics as backdrops. This is a marketplace already, but largely handpainted canvas. Many of the higher end products are beautiful and are used by some of the worlds’ leading and top end portrait photographers.
There are also a lot of online instructions for creating your own.
Where Elena’s cloths differ is the multi use they offer, the delicate scent they emit, that they are reversible, that they work so well as a backdrop but fold and drape so can be used as body coverings or in different ways for product shots and lifestyle photos.
I did rather push the potential with Elena. But she went away and returned with two things which are fantastic for me persoanlly. Firstly, she thought about and embraced the commercial possibility, thinking perhaps about life post MA and purposely created a cloth principally designed as a portrait backdrop. She bought noil silk from India and gave it a new life using our local landscape and flora. Taking on board autumnal tones and my wishes for colours for portrait ideas. This has been integrated to her MA journey, recognising the commercial potential for her inner creativity.
Secondly, I now own this beautiful piece. Elena extended her thinking beyond the fabric and considered the presentation of product, handing to me the finished cloth in a purpose bought acetate free archive box, a sampling of the flora used to create the patterns on the silk and a letter describing the steps and thoughts which went into the creative process. Maybe it was George Bailey moment for me!
This has so far been a collaboration and I hope to have fanned the flames of a raging possibility. Frankly, Elena’s work generally will I think find it’s niche, her cloth books are magical so I am under no illusion that I can claim an origin story; by the time Elena came in that second time she was already born. But, I do feel that it has been an experience of possiblity and I hope I can say I was there are the beignning. Who know’s, maybe one day the V&A will display Elena Sparkes work.
Elena Sparke can be found on Instagram as @curator_of_chance