Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Day 48:Lydia Quinones


A large part of my ethnicity is Asian and Native American, so I focus on creating "artifacts" that acknowledge the interactions between the Chinese and Native Americans in the southwest during the industrial revolution.  
Many Chinese came to the southwest to build the railroads and married Native Americans or encountered them for trade.  Many aspects of the two cultures are similar, so creating 3D artifacts which embrace both worlds wasn't difficult.  Most of my artifacts are woven scrolls, which is a combination of Chinese paper scrolls and Native American weaving, but my more unusual pieces are pictured below.
My 2D works can be viewed at redbubble.com/people/hauntedteashop



Chinese gourd flutes with Yaqui inspired decor.  Gourd instruments and silk cocoons are common in both cultures.
 
Yaqui/Chinese alter.  The golden bird is a cross between a hummingbird (Yaqui) and phoenix (Chinese).  Alters for the deceased are common in both cultures.







 

I was raised by very Catholic parents, yet there was such an influence of Asian art, that I decided this rosary should be constructed with Ming Dynasty porcelain beads, cloisonne. Bits of red string are visible between the beads.  I was lucky enough to have been gifted cloisonne cross from a Chinese friend, that is also reflective of the Yaqui flower world.


Ming Dynasty porcelain bowl with Yaqui symbolism of floating deer among "divinity clouds", in place of traditional Chinese dragons.

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