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| "Ode To Golden" 2014 |
For we are the ocean and the waves, the darkness and the light - Tony Parsons
In "Ode to Golden", I took an image of a Panamanian golden frog and overlaid it with an Islamic geometric design, using fill stitch.This frog is critically endangered primarily by a fungal skin disease; pollution and habitat loss are also factors. With line stitch I surrounded the frog with a floral pattern covered with circles that represent both its eggs and the disease that threatens it.
To learn more- http://amphibianrescue.org/tag/project-golden-frog/
In a broad sense the Islamic motif on the frog represents our human impact on and interdependence with the natural world. Specifically these two very disparate ideas- "Islamic Culture" and "Golden Frog" -have both been assailed in their own way.
Besides the frog, the "Golden" in the title refers to the Golden Rule and the idea of golden threads. The Golden Rule calls for compassionate empathy of the "other". 'Golden threads' is a concept I gleaned from Gaia theory that refers to the soul energy that connects all beings on our one living planet. I like this metaphor because I stitched this piece with actual golden colored threads.
It is in the spirit of the Golden Rule and the golden threads that I dedicate this piece to the people of Gaza, especially to the children. They are undergoing unimaginable suffering as the Israeli Occupation Force continues it's third, and by far most devastating, bombing of the Gaza Strip in six years. As I write this, an estimated 2,069 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, including 553 children. Over 10,500 people have been injured, including 3,106 children. 1800 children have been made orphans.
I have barely touched on this tragedy. To learn more please go to http://savegazaproject.org/