The bed frame for my bed ‘Enter the Forest of Dreams’ has been stored in a friend’s barn since the last time it was shown in public, which was 2012. It was at the Festival of Quilts that year and also in my home/studio in Devon Open Studios.
The only other time it had been shown was in 1999. That was the year I graduated from the Chippendale International School of Furniture. It was part of my end of the year exhibition of work.
Well, the barn caught fire in August of this year. The wooden interior and all of its contents were destroyed. Luckily, all of the quilts and bedding are stored safely at home.
Fortunately, the fire stayed in the barn and none of the dwellings nearby caught fire. My friend took this mesmerizing video.
I went to survey the damage a couple of days later. The barn had been 2 storied. The orange circle is roughly where the bed frame and mattress were stored.
We couldn’t go into the structure until yesterday because it was too unstable. We went and sifted through the charcoal and ash. I recovered a couple of pieces of charred wood from the frame and the metal supports that held the mattress.
People who know about my bed are more shocked than I about the fire. I’m not quite sure why I feel so detached about it. Part of it is the grieving process, which goes in stages. Part of it is that once I finish a piece of work, it’s behind me.
Enter the Forest of Dreams tells a very deep story about my romantic life, but it has never been a part of my life.
One of my friends summed it up when she likened it to hearing that a distant friend has died. Someone you were close to at one time, but had lost touch with.
I’m planning to use some of the charcoal to draw some pictures of the bed and about the loss of the frame. One of the pieces will be preserved as an artifact. Perhaps one day, I’ll make a different bed using the metal supports and other materials. It is all for me to dream on.
