The fabric of time and space was created by Sandrow in response to a commission, for a permanent installation at the new US Embassy Jakarta (2018), from Art in Embassies Chief Curator Virginia L. Shore and Curator Claire D’Alba. A creative engagement that returned her to the other side of the world: the Pacific Islands and Peoples of Bali, Flores and Komodo (2% Indonesian population. And to reflect on her Southampton neighbors Shinnecock Nation (2% American population).
“In general my research revealed the vital importance in the link between the cultural practices of indigenous artisan weavers and wood carvers [whose] work expresses the wonders of nature and the natural world to those actively working to preserve it. Flora, fauna and marine life will be represented and pictured in my work of art.” Read more on Art in Embassy website....
Indonesia is the only equatorial region in the world with an exchange of marine flora and fauna between the Indian and Pacific oceans. From mountain tops to tropical rainforests to the seas surrounding Flores and Komodo, Sandrow photographed nature and the natural world represented in the Weavers palettes and patterns.
Retracing the steps of her (1998) travels for the project/installation TIME(space) commissioned by Independent Curator Andy Grundberg for the exhibition In Response to Place: Place Matters (2001-2006). To inform this new work of the impact of social, technological, and climate change on remote island cultures during the past seventeen years. When none enjoyed clean water, electric power and mobility. Sandrow revisited (2016) indigenous villages of Bali Aga (Bali), and villagers (Flores) Mangarrai Todo elder Yeremias Tunjuk. Acquiring from weavers (as in 1998) hand loomed Songke and Songkett picturing flora and fauna in their own distinct languages. And Ata Modo (Komodo): master wood carver Mr. Nuhan (1998 The Legend of Komodo select October “18”.
(Flores) Divemaster Condo Subagyo (1998 Manta Ray, Centipede, Dragons select October “20”) who had introduced Sandrow to Mr. Nuhan; this time to the underwater landscape in Komodo National Park he’s attributed for discovering, naming “Secret Garden”. A habitat for Corals (Whip Coral Ellisella ceratophyta), various Reef Fish (Anthias, Clownfish) (pictured panels 1, 2,3), and Andromeda Jellyfish (4th panel).
"There are about 200 marine lakes, or small, landlocked bodies of seawater, known to science. Of those lakes, only a handful contain jellyfish...The ecosystems that marine lakes host are fragile. Isolated but still maintaining subterranean connections to the sea, the lakes are particularly susceptible to climate change. Their waters are warmer and saltier than the open ocean, which provides a sneak peek into how oceans might fare if climate change continues at its current rate…. Jellyfish have lived in the ocean longer than any other macroscopic creature, and climate change could actually be to their advantage, because they tend to thrive in warmer waters.”
National Geographic Rare Saltwater Lakes Filled with Jellyfish in Indonesia Feb 2018
UPDATE: Komodo National Park: A fragile ecosystem (2019) closed to tourists
Including “Secret Garden”.
copyright © 2021 Hope Sandrow all rights reserved
Four vivid photographs that compose the panorama Secret Garden exhibit a phenomenon unique to this environment known as a marine lake, a landlocked body of seawater. “As soon as I was submerged, this underwater world—composed of colorful thread-like Whip Coral Ellisella ceratophyta—became the pictorial metaphor for my project, The fabric of time and space spacetime,” Sandrow explained. “I was immediately reminded of the Balinese and Mangarrai weavers at their looms and embraced this connection.” In concert with this lush underwater imagery, Sandrow’s installation features three textiles—one from her first travels and two from her more recent return—as a means to weave together her different experiences of place over time. The textiles also bring attention to the importance of these indigenous traditions. The livelihood of these weavers, a minority of the nation’s diverse population, depends on the recognition and sales of their labor-intensive work.
Jacquelyn Gleisner, excerpt from catalogue, Art in Embassies Jakarta 2020
