Symbioment

Das Lied von der Erde

Symbioment

[Life works with life to further life - the philosophical basis for how we may view other. Abandoning the environment does nothing but perpetuate our separation.]



Wie alles war weiss ich: wie alles wird, wie alles sein wird: seh’ich auch der ew’gen Welt Urwald.

—Erda, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Richard Wagner

The third tapestry in the ‘Das Lied von der Erde’ series unravels the enigma as Erda conjures the essence of her being; How everything was I perceive: how everything evolves, how everything will be: I also behold, an eternal world's primeval forest, Erda.

In the upper left corner, the sun completes the celestial narrative initiated in the preceding piece. Two ravens, Heugin and Meugin, bask in the sun—a reference to Wotan’s companions in Norse mythology. Etymologically, Heugin is linked to memory, that what is in the brain, while Meugin symbolises everything one intellectually has, that which one metaphorically owns. They are perched on the branches of Ygg Drasil, the Axis Mundi, that emerges from the background. The tree bridges heaven and earth, and protects the world and humanity from all evil. 

In the upper right corner, the vigilant eyes of the gods manifest through the double headed eagle. Every detail in the composition is rendered in yellow and green yarn and roving, creating a vivid tableau that weaves together the cosmic and mythic. 

Symbioment, 2023

Needle-felted tapestry

250 x 120 cm

Knitted wool, yarn, roving on wool mix