Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.05.2017, Side 44

Things 44The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 08 — 2017
Dreams,
Magic & 2
Dope Queens
A few of James Merry's favourite things
Artist
James Merry is an Iceland-based artist
and embroiderer who has risen to promi-
nence via his delicate embroidered sports-
wear. He’s also a close Björk collaborator,
and his masks and facepieces were staples
of her recent stage show. Here, he talks
us through some of the formative influ-
ences that brought him where he is today.

Diary: William Morris in Iceland
William Morris has been a constant
presence in my life, having grown up
in a house covered with his furnish-
ings and wallpapers. His botanical
designs have seeped through my skin
from an early age. I only recently
found out about his love for Iceland,
and bought the travel journals he
kept during his 1871 visit. Reading his
descriptions of places I now know in
Iceland was an unexpected merging
of two huge influences on my life.
Place: Hafravatn
Two and half years ago I moved out
of Reykjavík to live in a little sum-
merhouse by Hafravatn. Living out
there has trickled into my work,
and I've realised that I often mimic
whatever is going on in the garden
at that time—when mushrooms
start poking up through the moss
in autumn, they suddenly start ap-
pearing in my embroideries too...
Podcast: 2 Dope Queens
I've been listening to hundreds of pod-
casts while I work, and this one has
become a firm favourite. It's a com-
edy talk show, each episode featur-
ing a predominately black, LGBTQ or
female cast of comedians. My studio
feels pretty empty without their voices
talking at me through the speakers.
Gif: Forest Spirit
There is a brief moment in ‘Princess
Mononoke’ that had a huge visual
impact on me, that I think about al-
most every day—when the Forest
Spirit walks across the grass and an
abundance of life blossoms at his
feet and then withers instantaneous-
ly. By the power of the gif, I can now
have this moment on loop forever.
Dreams: Carl Jung & Marie Louise
von Franz
I have a very active dream life, and
put a lot of importance on them in my
waking life. I am a devoted student of
Carl Jung's work, particularly the work
he did with Marie Louise von Franz
on alchemy. Every couple of years I
rewatch her video series on dreams,
which usually inspires me into a deep-
er subconscious/dream exploration.
Comedy: Nighty Night
British comedy was a huge part of my
upbringing, and some shows perme-
ated the way I think and the phrases
I use. Jill Tyrell in Julia Davis's ‘Nighty
Night’ is one of my favourite fic-
tional characters ever created. She
is utterly sociopathic and cruelly
obsessive and I absolutely love her.
Book: Anne Carson,
‘Autobiography of Red’
This book had such a strong impact
on me when I first read it—part poem,
part novel, it's a masterly blur be-
tween a retelling of Greek myth and
a contemporary gay love story, with
the most beautiful shape-shifting
imagery and language I've ever read.
Museum: The Blaschka Glass Flowers
Some of my favourite objects in the
world are a collection of 19th century
glass flowers at the Harvard Museum
of Natural History. I'm especially fond
of the pieces that depict magnifications
of pollen grains and stamens—they
stop looking floral and become some-
thing entirely abstract and alien.
MAKING OF
AN ARTIST
Words:
James Merry
Photo:
Billy Hayes
gpv.is/making
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“She is utterly
sociopathic
and cruelly
obsessive and I
absolutely love
her.”