Kate Daudy
Encyclopedia
Kate Daudy is a British artist who lives and works in London. Her work is inspired by an ancient Chinese literati tradition of inscribing poems on to objects.
Her technique involves composing or carefully selecting poetry that reflects or contrasts with the nature of the object of her choosing. The letters that form these poems are cut from felt fabric and applied in different techniques, depending on the object. Through her scholarly examination of the memory of objects Daudy explores concepts of communication and language, spirituality, solitude and East/West relations.
(1600-1046 BC). The calligraphic writing or inscribing of poems onto objects became an elevated art form in itself, perpetuated by the ruling Emperors, who would compose poems to be inscribed onto paintings or works of art of special significance to them.
By perpetuating this literary tradition as a contemporary plastic art form Kate Daudy’s work has brought these ancient concepts even back to mainland China itself, where the tradition had been lost. Daudy uses words of her own composition as well as other poems from varied sources such as Verlaine
and Anne Sexton
, to Pink Floyd
lyrics.
at the Galerie Marie Victoire Poliakoff in Paris examined the memories associated with items of clothing, inscribing vintage dresses with poems that reflected their identity. Le Figaro
compared Daudy's and White's work to that of Jean Cocteau
and Elsa Schiaparelli
.
Yellow Mountains, Red Letters exhibited at Bonham's London 2010 featured her calligraphic works on photographs by Chinese art specialist Daniel Eskenazi.
A committed peacenik, her most celebrated work, the "War Dress" was commissioned by the Southbank Centre, London for the Poetry International festival. It featured Wilfred Owen
's 'Dulce et Decorum Est' inscribed in khaki letters down the train of a wedding dress.
She has since collaborated with Lemn Sissay
, Glyndebourne Opera, Yang Lian
,House of Voltaire[6], Grant White
, the Southbank Centre, Poetry International, Rufus Wainwright
and other artists and poets including the Icelandic singer Bjork
. Her work features in museums and major private collections throughout the world.
and Marie-Christine Goüin) by whom she has three children.They live in London and at Royaumont Abbey
in France where the foundation Goüin's family created makes them widely influential, particularly in the fields of music and contemporary dance.
Her technique involves composing or carefully selecting poetry that reflects or contrasts with the nature of the object of her choosing. The letters that form these poems are cut from felt fabric and applied in different techniques, depending on the object. Through her scholarly examination of the memory of objects Daudy explores concepts of communication and language, spirituality, solitude and East/West relations.
Themes
The concept of writing on objects originates to the beginning of Chinese civilization, when tortoise shells and scapulae were used to predict the future. These ‘oracles bones’ would go through a process of being burnt in the dying embers of a fire then in accordance with how the bones and shells cracked Chinese shaman would foresee the future and subsequently write what they had predicted on those shells.This was particularly prevalent in the Shang DynastyShang Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was, according to traditional sources, the second Chinese dynasty, after the Xia. They ruled in the northeastern regions of the area known as "China proper" in the Yellow River valley...
(1600-1046 BC). The calligraphic writing or inscribing of poems onto objects became an elevated art form in itself, perpetuated by the ruling Emperors, who would compose poems to be inscribed onto paintings or works of art of special significance to them.
By perpetuating this literary tradition as a contemporary plastic art form Kate Daudy’s work has brought these ancient concepts even back to mainland China itself, where the tradition had been lost. Daudy uses words of her own composition as well as other poems from varied sources such as Verlaine
Verlaine
Verlaine is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liege. On January 1, 2006 Verlaine had a total population of 3,507. The total area is 24.21 km² which gives a population density of 145 inhabitants per km². The municipality contains the villages...
and Anne Sexton
Anne Sexton
Anne Sexton was an American poet, known for her highly personal, confessional verse. She won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1967...
, to Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
lyrics.
Career
Her first show “Written in Water” (2009) with Grant WhiteKate and Grant
Kate and Grant are an artistic partnership based in London. They meld poetry with clothing, by stitching words cut from felt onto vintage clothes.-Works:Pieces created by them have included:...
at the Galerie Marie Victoire Poliakoff in Paris examined the memories associated with items of clothing, inscribing vintage dresses with poems that reflected their identity. Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
compared Daudy's and White's work to that of Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. His circle of associates, friends and lovers included Kenneth Anger, Pablo Picasso, Jean Hugo, Jean Marais, Henri Bernstein, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel, Erik Satie, María...
and Elsa Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli was an Italian fashion designer. Along with Coco Chanel, her greatest rival, she is regarded as one of the most prominent figures in fashion between the two World Wars. Starting with knitwear, Schiaparelli's designs were heavily influenced by Surrealists like her collaborators...
.
Yellow Mountains, Red Letters exhibited at Bonham's London 2010 featured her calligraphic works on photographs by Chinese art specialist Daniel Eskenazi.
A committed peacenik, her most celebrated work, the "War Dress" was commissioned by the Southbank Centre, London for the Poetry International festival. It featured Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC was an English poet and soldier, one of the leading poets of the First World War...
's 'Dulce et Decorum Est' inscribed in khaki letters down the train of a wedding dress.
She has since collaborated with Lemn Sissay
Lemn Sissay
Lemn Sissay MBE is an award-winning British author and broadcaster of Ethiopian and Eritrean parents.He is known for performances of his poetry and also with jazz fusion groups. He is a playwright, and has worked on radio and television...
, Glyndebourne Opera, Yang Lian
Yang Lian
Yang Lian is a Chinese poet associated with the Misty Poets and also with the Searching for Roots school. He was born in Bern, Switzerland in 1955 and raised in Beijing, where he attended primary school....
,House of Voltaire[6], Grant White
Kate and Grant
Kate and Grant are an artistic partnership based in London. They meld poetry with clothing, by stitching words cut from felt onto vintage clothes.-Works:Pieces created by them have included:...
, the Southbank Centre, Poetry International, Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
and other artists and poets including the Icelandic singer Bjork
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
. Her work features in museums and major private collections throughout the world.
Personal life
Kate is married to the French economist Clément Daudy (son of Philippe DaudyPhilippe Daudy
Philippe Daudy was, among other things, a member of the French Resistance, a journalist, a novelist, a publisher and a businessman. An Anglophile Frenchman, he moved to England and wrote a best-selling book about the English.-Origins:...
and Marie-Christine Goüin) by whom she has three children.They live in London and at Royaumont Abbey
Royaumont Abbey
Royaumont Abbey was a Cistercian abbey, located near Asnières-sur-Oise in Val-d'Oise, approximately 30 km north of Paris, France.-History:It was built between 1228 and 1235 with the support of Louis IX...
in France where the foundation Goüin's family created makes them widely influential, particularly in the fields of music and contemporary dance.