For example, she tells the story of writing a book only to have the publication cancelled at the last moment. Instead of explaining to everyone what happened, Kate simply wrote the story of what happened on an outfit comprised of a top, a jacket, and a skirt. That way, she didn’t have to talk about what happened: she could simply say “read it” on her clothes. It worked: she didn’t have to repeat herself over and over and over.
But the experience also led her to designing clothes. A friend asked Daudy to design a dinner jacket for him, which she did by embroidering the jacket with writing and buttons. One thing led to another, and she was offered a show in Paris with her friend and collaborator Grant White in 2009. The show, “Written in Water,” took place at Galerie Marie Victoire Poliakoff. It examined the memories associated with items of clothing, with vintage dresses being inscribed with poems that reflected their identity. Le Figaro compared Daudy and White’s work to that of Jean Cocteau and Elsa Schiaparelli. Bjork, Rufus
Wainwright, and other performers
commissioned costumes after seeing the
pieces.
All the same, Daudy never strayed far from her roots. In 2010, Bonham’s London presented “Yellow Mountains, Red Letters” that featured Kate’s calligraphy on photographs by Chinese Art Specialist Daniel Eskenazi.2
Often, Daudy’s art involves the use of felt – which for her is a symbol of redemption – to create her writings. All the letters used by Kate are individually hand cut – by Kate herself – from the material. Her technique involves composing or carefully choosing poetry that reflects or contrasts with the nature of the object in question. Placed on hangings, walls, photographs, or other objects, Daudy effectively “ambushes” people with her thoughts and the thoughts of others in hopes of challenging people to think, to reflect, and to wonder about what is being said. It is a unique method: not quite Socratic as it does not involve a question, not quite Old Testament as it does not involve rendering a judgment. Just a spark, causing a person to turn and look at the work, which in turn results in an asking of one’s mind to engage in the search for truth.
Right:
Open Doors Live at Goldfinger Factory
Video Courtesy of:
Kate Daudy & KCAW
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