Jodie Mack: Persian Pickles

Part of Material Girls, curated by Blair Fornwald, Jennifer Matotek, and Wendy Peart. January 19 to April 4, 2015 at Central Mediatheque.

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Persian Pickles is a mesmerizing study of paisley fabrics, set to a choppy and hypnotic ambient soundtrack. Essentially a formalist film, Mack’s subject references a long history of vernacular abstraction. The pattern, variously described as resembling a mango, a Cypress tree, a stylized floral spray, or a palm frond, dates back to the Sassanid Dynasty (AD 224 to AD 651) in Iran, where it is known as the Boteh Jegeh. It made its way to Europe in the 17th century via colonial trade routes, and eventually came to be produced in Europe, most notably in the textile manufacturing town of Paisley, Scotland, where it acquired its most common name. Following The Beatles' pilgrimage to India in the late 1960s, it acquired psychedelic connotations; following its resurgence in the 1980s, it acquired a reputation as a preppy pattern found on neckties and women’s blouses. By sampling paisley patterns from various eras, and by varying the sizes, colours, and orientation of the teardrop forms, Mack’s frame animation creates the dizzying illusion of movement that mirrors the mobility of this resilient and storied pattern.

Jodie Mack is an experimental animator who received her MFA in film, video, and new media from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2007. Her 16 mm films have been screened internationally. Mack is the 2013 recipient of the Marion McMahan Award at the Images Festival (Toronto.) She currently teaches animation at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire and has also worked as a curator and administrator for experimental film and video festivals.

Jodie Mack, Persian Pickles, 2012, 16 mm film, 3:00. Image courtesy of the artist.