Researching!

A list of things i've been researching

birds- 

'grief is the thing with feathers' was the inspiration for this project- it's poetic way of mimicking crow behavior, symbolisation and movement in language was beautiful. It made me aware of my own superstitions about magpies, and therefore decide to confront them, as well as looking at morbid corvid imagery and it's significance in our everyday life.

magpie-
-Good morning mister magpie - saluting them as a sign of respect.
   
'One for sorrow,
 Two for joy,
 Three for a girl,
 Four for a boy,
 Five for silver,
 Six for gold,
 Seven for a secret,
 Never to be told.
 Eight for a wish,
 Nine for a kiss,
 Ten for a bird,
 You must not miss'

-magpies carry a drop of the devils blood under their tongue; if you cut a magpies tongue open it will speak english.
-the only bird to not mourn jesus' death, said to have sat outside chattering and swearing in the rain. 
-said to be a hybrid between a dove (hope) and raven (death)
-if you see one magpie (for bad luck) blink rapidly so you convince yourself you've seen two! (connected to:eyes)
-sacred in ancient greece, to Barcus, god of wine.
Pica is also the name of a dirt eating disorder, usually in small children. Originates from the latin 'pica' for magpie, because they eat anything they can. I found this out after i'd made my 'pica' screenprint... always research FIRST. 

-a group of crows is called a murder
-a group of larks is called an exhalation
^this contrast between joy and despair is what sparked the idea of contrast and duality in my work.
- any bird pooing on you is considered good luck, even though it's kinda a shitty thing to happen. (no pun intended that's awful)
-dove and olive branch- biblical symbol of hope. 

luck/unlucky-
-wheel of fortune ('rota fortunae')
ancient philosophy, symbolises of the nature of fate and choice.
based on the zodiac wheel of celestial spheres, constantly turning and changing through the year.

similarly, 'count your lucky stars' is in relation to the concept that your fate and fortune are based on which star you're born under.'star-crossed' meaning bad juju. the concept that we have read the sky for millennia, to make it make sense, always looking towards something much bigger than self .
(nb.-To gain sense of control, or lack of responsibility from our actions? to look for a bigger cause for misfortune and fortune, to recognise things in their beautiful and ugly states- that things beyond comprehension and things we see are not one and the same, to try and figure out a formula for existence and to make things make sense in relation to the universe.) 

eyes-
the idea of being watched, a being controlling our fate from afar.
all seeing eyes, 'the eye of providence'.
the greek eye of 'mati' (evil eye) being used on you, no matter who you are, causes misfortune. One of those things that makes us equal to the rich as they can't buy their way out of it.
Also- 'third eyes'. openness to sight beyond ordinary perception. higher conciousness, enlightenment, precognition.

colours-
white
- Purity, focus
- Clear clutter and obstacles
- To start fresh
Black- depth. chaos and calm. 
(not 100% relevant but nighttime is the natural state of the universe, all the effects of light heat and growth just come from a ball of gas nearby)

stars, the sun-
life, strength, energy.
represent a divinity. Usually a positive one. the cause of all life on earth, the catalyst for birth and death (if you get too much of it or too close to it)

rain/blood/liquid droplets.
rain- emotional cleansing, or alternatively bad pathetic fallacy.(thanks gcse english)

flowers-
tulips- cheerful thoughts, positivity, spring and growth. flowers represent love languages, communication, expression of emotion, noting of beauty, harnessing and sharing that. 

lucky/unlucky numbers in culture and everyday life- 
3-
'all good things come in threes' 
heart mind soul
father son holy spirit
triangles-strength, balance.
featured in many chinese philosphy sayings.
haikus!
granted 3 wishes
3 sons in folklore, the firebird- the older two murdered the youngest.

7-
7 deadly sins
world made in 7 days
prime number
7 planets of the ancient world
7 wonders of the world
sacred to completion between heaven and earth.

13-
13 steps to the gallows
a witches coven has typically 13 members
sin, rebellion and depravity
the last supper,
greek gods in olympus would only allow 12, as 13 was unlucky even then (12 is perfect)
friday 13th