You The Bell

Paul Klee "Around The Fish" 1926

Profoundly innovative, Klee’s work was as varied as it is influential. Miró, Dali, Rothko & Motherwell name him as a key influence - the lodestar - sitting at the wellspring of the Surrealism & Abstract Expressionism movements.

Despite this his work has signature elements; systems of throbbing forms, otherworldly creatures, stick figures, moon faces, mystical symbols, arrows, quilts of graduating colour... all orchestrated into the fantastical, childlike, meditative. 

Around A Fish is distinctly Klee. It draws us in & compels us. It crosses from depicting worldly things to abstract imagery. Instinctively it feels lyrical, impishly humorous & full of meaning…but what meaning?

We have a garnished platter of fish, on an infinity pool, surrounded by a constellation of seemingly disparate elements, all hovering against a dark abyss. Is it a mix of personal & religious symbols? Does it reference natural history, physics - orbiting bodies, moon phases, crossing from figurative to non-figurative? Man in relation to multiple realities - visual, scientific, metaphysical…?  Are its forms, signs & symbols delivering a pictographic sermon of man’s fate? Or just poking fun at people puzzled by the symbolism in his previous fish paintings?

We can conclude that Around A Fish is an invitation to daydream, to imaginatively meditate on the ‘construction of a cosmic garden of meaning’. Klee believed every artist should cultivate this on a personal level, with its significance helping us to reach & connect on a universal level.

Or we could say using words from this ART WRD’s poem & title;  It invites you in, to serve as your bell tower - with you as the bell.

Inside You The Bell is a link to its Exploration Page where you can find out more & sign up to its creative world.

From Rainer Maria Rilke's poem "Let This Darkness Be A Bell Tower" in Sonnets to Orpheus 1923

“In this uncontainable night,

be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses,

the meaning discovered there.”

Rilke is recognized as one of the most lyrically intense poets of all time. His poetry expresses his unique philosophy which developed to reconcile beauty & suffering, life & death. Novelist Herman Hesse said of Rilke ‘through him resounds the music of the universe; like the basin of a fountain he becomes at once instrument & ear'. 

And it was as if through some kind of cosmic fountain that the words of this ART WRD came into being. Rilke wrote the Sonnets to Orpheus & the Duino Elegies, considered his masterpieces, in a three-week ‘savage, boundless creative storm, a hurricane of the spirit’. He described the poems as dictated to him as if from inside a God - that he spent that time ‘howling unbelievably vast commands and receiving signals from cosmic space’.

Let This Darkness Be Your Bell Tower expresses Rilke’s central philosophy - that we must have the courage to create and cultivate our ‘cosmic gardens of meaning’ to borrow from Klee.

Inside You The Bell is a link to its Exploration Archive where you can find out more & sign up to its creative world.

People & planet positive

We do it properly, respectfully. 

⦁ We use recycled nylon for stitch, zip & bond strength. The rest is plastic-free.

⦁ Everyone involved in making an ART WRD is paid properly for their skill & expertise.

⦁ Our fabric comes through the leading ethical purchasing policy of Manchester's oldest textile supplier.

⦁ Our tannery follows an ancient process using only non-toxic plant-based tannins.

⦁ We only use leather that is a by-product of the highest standard of welfare for food production.

Our traditional methods give the leather an unmistakable warm & brilliant shade that becomes more intense with daily use & the passing of time.

Our pioneering printing lasts a lifetime

In Nottingham, England we work with leather printing pioneers.  They recreate artworks like a tattoo - the ink absorbing deeper into the leather, resulting in unparalleled colour vibrancy, image quality & colour durability.

Our pouches are crafted by highly-skilled, passionate people

Our pouches are handcrafted in small batches using traditional methods. This, along with the natural variation in these artisan products, means each one is unique. Expertly made to the very highest quality they are double-stitched at pressure points & lined with the finest cotton twill. 

Wallet size