Category: Surface Tensions

Inspired by a famous stretch of the River Test (known as the Oakley Beat) owned by the National Trust at Mottisfont, Surface Tensions takes as its starting point the the unique ecology, history, ritual (fly fishing) and geology (chalk) present here, and explores how all this might be affected by climate change.

Surface Tensions

@surface.tensions

For those of you subscribed to this blog, a quick update on Surface Tensions. From here on in I am going to be posting on Instagram, rather than via WordPress. If you would like to continue following my progress, then you will find me @surface.tensions. Hope to see you there!

Surface Tensions

Artful Dodger Reboot

I started this blog with one of Halford’s flies – No.77, the Artful Dodger. So to end my most recent day in the VR Cave at the Corsham Institute I wanted to do my interpretation of Halford’s original pattern. So here it is, the Artful Dodger Reboot. Anyone want to try this one out on the Test? Neil?

Surface Tensions

My frictionless fly

Watching videos of fly tying, I’m aware of how tight the feathers and string are tied around the hook. The fly tyer never lets the twine relax, always maintaining tension until the end is fixed, often with a final blob of glue or varnish. Everything is held together by twist upon twist of twine, binding the different elements into a mimetic shape that can then withstand the stresses of being cast onto the water, again and again, before being swallowed by a fish. In VR it couldn’t be more different: nothing is solid, there is no tension, ‘feather’ can pass through metal hook, a twist of twine can float just off the surface of the shank; there is nothing to pull against, to secure to, or to resist your movements. What you have is the idea of a fly, rather than something substantial. So as I continue to ‘draw’ in VR my ideas about what I should do with this strange frictionless medium are constantly evolving. I’m not sure where it is going to lead at the moment. [I lost the metal sheen of the hook along the way. Still trying to figure out a way of keeping that.]