Netsuke - Reclining Goat & The Road To Granada

Goats Bicyles + Bells

While carving the Reclining Goat, a cycling trip back in 2004 rises to the forefront of my mind. We were cycling from Malaga to Granada, climbing up mountains slowly for hours and racing down the other side in what felt like seconds. We passed derelict buildings, old castles, churches, olive groves, poppy fields, wild boars, donkey, sheep, men in cardigans, cyclists, cats and dogs and one little dog snapping at our heels, barking like mad as we sped through the village. When we made it to the top of a mountain between Colmenar and Riogordo we stopped on the side of the road to snack on a carbohydrate picnic of garlic potatoes and bread. In this moment of tranquility we heard a faint symphony of bells. People appeared on the road in the distance followed by a herd of mountain goats. I pulled out my mini disc to record the sound of the goat bells mingled with birdsong and conversations in Spanish. You can just about hear the goat bells here on Soundcloud over a wind buffeted microphone.

The Metamorphosis of a Goat or Carving the Root from Japan to Bristol

As I carve into the wood, following the black outlines of this goat like a road map, I picture the smooth roads carving the Andalusican landscape, winding around lakes, deep into the valleys, high on the peak of the mountains, taking a wrong turn, getting lost on muddy stone tracks, battling lorries along cliff edges, navigating maps, finding our way again as the sun sets, our shadows black on the orange rocks as we pedal along the road to our final destination.

I finish carving the goat and make a print. This goat has a full coat of hair and I can’t see its beard for the thick lines so I carve out a little bit more of the beard and make another print. A beard appears from the swirling hair so I make a few more prints. This goat has travelled far. Starting somewhere in Japan, hand sculpted into ivory by a Japanese netsuke carver, worn on a Kimono or kept as an ornament, given to the British Museum, placed in storage or in a display cabinet, transformed into a photographic image, printed in a full colour reference book, sketched, scanned, digitalized, Photoshopped, printed on to inkjet paper, printed onto Gampi, carved into magnolia wood and its final destination for now, hand printed onto Japanese Hosho paper in a studio in Bristol.

Year of the Goat (hitsuji)

Original netsuke by Kaigyokusai Masatsugu (1819-1892)

“Kaigyokusai Masatsugu who considered one of the greatest netsuke carvers of the the Osaka region, together with his contemporary, Ohara Mitsurhiro. Masatsugu carved different types of animal, especially those represented in the zodiac cycle.”

— Netsuke - 100 Miniature Masterpieces from Japan.

Netsuke - Elephant & Man in the form of a Seal

Today I am carving 'Elephant and Man in the form of a Seal' while listening to Katy Payne talk about elephants. Katy is a researcher in the Bioacoustics Research Program at the Laboratory of Ornithology at Cornell University and has spent 35 years closely studying the behaviour of elephants. In conversation with Krista Tippet from the On Being podcast. 

Katy Payne & Elephants

Katy Payne talks about her first encounter studying the behaviour of elephants in Portland Oregan Zoo. She spent a week observing the elephants and after a while being in close proximity to the elephants she noticed "a throbbing sound in the air".

“There is a sound below the pitches of the sound that human beings can hear and low and behold we discovered there was a whole other communication system there that no one had known about; it was just below the frequency that humans can hear.”

— Katy Payne with Krista Tippet from Onbeing

Katy's recordings led to the discovery of infrasonic communication in elephants. After years of research in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Namibia she founded the The Elephant Listening Project

“ELP has been listening in on the sounds of the forests of Central Africa, applying Katy’s insights to further the conservation of elephants. Projects have been located at numerous different sites from Gabon and Cameroon in the west, to the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo to the east.”

— The Elephant Listening Project

Elephant Print no.2

I initially made a sketch of this elephant at the Royal Festival Hall from "Netsuke - 100 Miniature Masterpieces" by Noriko Tsuchiya. The drawing is much more graphic and flat than the sketches I made from life in the Bristol museum study room. The plus side being that the lines are clearer and easier to follow with the Hangito.

Carving and Stretching

I'm more focused today and managing to keep all the lines I want intact without cutting off a toe or or trunk. Giving myself more space and time and I am more in tune with the wood and my body - I am still getting pains in my elbows from carving and have tried techniques learnt from Paul Furneaux's woodblock printing workshop but I find it very hard to hold the Hangito in the traditional way. It feels more natural to hold it like pencil. As I haven't resolved this yet, for now, as soon as my arms ache - I stop and stretch out my entire body, letting the blood flow back into all the places that have been holding tension. As I think about the tension I wonder about this man trying to tame and chain this beautiful elephant. These animals are such free spirits and it is so good to hear about the wonderful work Katy is doing. I am so inspired by her passion. She is making people aware of the sensitivity and tenderness, the joy, the sadness, the playfulness, the love, the connection, reminding us all of the importance of these wonderful creatures and the delight and beauty that they exude.

Elephant Prints

I make six prints. While the wood is only lightly damp, I mix nori paste with Japanese carbon ink giving the lines more definition. (Elephant Print no.2) After a few prints the wood builds up more moisture and I use less nori paste which produces a more mottled watery texture. (Elephant Print no.6)

Elephant Print no.6

I apply too much pressure with the baren on other prints, overprinting the ink where there should be white space. So I have three prints that I'm happy with, each with their own unique quality which reminds me of Katy's heart warming story of the elephants holding memories close to their hearts.

“We recorded the voice of of an old matriarch, Rosie, who happened to have a grand daughter also in the herd - some 10 years later - Rosie had been dead for several years - Her granddaughter Sunshine was still alive. When we played these calls the elephants went into paroxysms of groaning and roaring - they were recognising that voice - there’s a real memory and voice is a part of it”

— Katy Payne with Krista Tippet from Onbeing

I lie on the floor and stretch out my limbs. Taking more breaks and stretching has been good practice today and I'm honoured to have spent time 'In the Presence of Elephants'.

If you would like to donate to The Elephant Listening Project, please click the the link below which will direct you to  Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website. 

Listen to more inspiring interviews by Krista Tippett at Onbeing.org