Honoring the Artist: Pamela Topham

The following conversation took place in the afterglow of an unusual performance at New York's Symphony Space - a multimedia work combining music by composer and conductor Victoria Bond and tapestries by local resident and cover artist, Pamela Topham.

Q: First and foremost, what form did your tapestries take in this work by internationally known musician, Victoria Bond? That's the intriguing part.

A: My tapestries were made into slides and projected on a screen behind the three musicians as the music was performed. My daughter, Eliza, who's majoring in Media at Manhattanville College, did the Powerpoint presentation. Each piece had about 25-30 slides, and each slide was on the screen about a minute.

Q: I can imagine that your work served as a metaphor for the music, although I did not attend the concert. Also, the slides allowed for close-ups, no doubt. Why was this important?

A: It was important to show the weave and its intricacies, just as the music had complexities, too.

Q: In the 1960s and 1970s, multimedia works were popular as you know, combining music, theatre, dance, whatever. But probably never tapestries.

A: I do remember working with Val Telberg and his wife, who was a dancer back in the late 1960s, doing collaborations using Val's idea of light. It was really "play" and so creative.

Q: So for people who weren't around back then, this current multi-media concert is something new. How did the project come about?

A: I went to a concert by Victoria at LongHouse a few years ago where I heard a song called "Woven," and it reminded me of my tapestries. I contacted her and said that I had just done a series called "Water Music." She got back to me and said, "We should do something." Victoria then called me back a few months later and said she was writing a proposal and asked if I would be interested in collaborating with her.

Q: I can imagine what your answer was.

A: Right. In April, 2006, she called to say the proposal had beenaccepted. It took one year to complete the project, but in April of 2007, we performed it at Symphony Space in New York. It's part of a series of three concerts and my collaboration is the first one.

Q: Have you ever had a penchant for music before your collaboration?

A: Not particularly, although I sometimes listen to music when I weave, mostly from WLIU Radio. And I also like live music, anything from jazz to classical guitar.

Q: Then how did this collaboration impact on your work, musically and otherwise?

A: It was a real challenge, and I often wonder where my creativity came from. But now I want to do more tapestries that are inspired by music rather than landscapes, which is my usual subject. I also liked working with other people on this project versus working alone on my tapestries.

Q: I know you have had some fairly recent shows featuring your traditional work.

A: Yes, in Washington, D.C. at the Touchstone Gallery and at the Lombardi Cancer Center.

Q: How can you describe what happens in the creative process when you're making your tapestries? How has that changed, perhaps, since your musical experience?

A: Most creativity is spontaneity where energy is let loose. Tapestry is far from spontaneous, but something happens that is unplanned. I've found that it's more spontaneous than I thought.

- Marion Wolberg Weiss

For more information, go to Ms. Topham's website at www.pamtopham.com