reclamation : celebration

21Feb11

current state of my research:

documenting, saving, and using my garbage to reconstruct my history and identity.  pictured above are objects around which i have crocheted a beautiful encasing structure.  i have begun to consider other trash in terms of basic material qualities.

here my receipts are sewn together into a fabric.

the empty vessels i crocheted are evidence of elapsed function.  the vessels are intentionally disposable, but i find they are due some recognition or respect for their existence as temporary convenience.  they contain and keep my food clean.  they take up space in my life, in my kitchen and apartment, until i eat or use up the contents.  here and then gone and replaced soon after.

i want to explore a more spatial understanding of these ideas.  it comes down to the environment i live in that determines my output of garbage.  this is my next step.

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: consumption, design, disuse, function, materials, objects, paper receipts sew garbage crochet, sculpture, skin, space, textiles, waste, yarn

two chairs.

11Nov10

chairs.  immediately they had personalities.  i unstacked them and their anthropomorphism slapped me in the face.  i positioned them, and then i became a voyeur.  they were intimate with one another and i photographed them.

it is uncomfortable to stare at the underside of the chair.  it’s like an up-skirt view.

my reaction to these two chairs was very unexpected.  i had plans to work them sculpturally into a display of elapsed function, of misfortune and neglect.  chairs are so intensely charged with human-ness.  they are interchangeable with the human form.  the impetus for my current work is our relationships with objects and the sudden end to these relationships.  through everyday use, we build relationships with objects.  we create complex associations and meanings due to their intimate functions and our memories.  the objects become enmeshed in our psyche and cause us to unintentionally fall victim to such metonymy.

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: anthropomorphism, chairs, dialogue, objects, relationships

skin.

21Oct10

in a fibers course [permeable membranes] i took a new perspective on my thesis concept.  the project had to come from some idea of what ‘skin’ is, and i was particularly inspired by the boxes of children’s toys and clothing thrown out on a neighbor’s lawn.  i find it interesting as well as a little sad that a piece of clothing that provided a person critical amenities such as warmth and comfort can be tossed out the door without a second thought about its worth.  i’m not suggesting that someone should never throw old belongings away, but there’s a certain reverence that i believe people should acknowledge upon discarding an object.

so.  i found these old sweatpants that i wished to render in such a way that somewhat retained the memory of the person that wore them.  my original intention was to tell the story of the life and, more importantly, the death of the pants, through rendered uselessness.  i began creating a shroud for them, but felt that it physically didn’t say enough.  it came down to situating the object within scenes to depict the progress of disuse.

this is how the project came out:

i presented the photos in a line, beginning with the dumpster and ending with the bathtub.  it is about the death of the sweatpants first, thrown out with the trash, goes backward in time to relay how they were slowly neglected, back to the beginning when they were constantly in use and a part of someone’s life.

in crit i found that the sequencing was confusing.  the pants were also misunderstood as standing in place of a person, which they are not.  in the end, this project came out very differently than intended.  i have never done story-type work with individual scenes, nor do i typically present work in photograph form.  i feel that i failed to capture the ‘big picture’ in a single moment [hence four pictures] and my goal is to create one object that says everything at once.  i do feel this was an important conversation about objects and what they mean [or don't mean] to people.

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: clothing, death, disuse, dumpster, neglect, objects, photography, skin, sweatpants

back to the drawing board.

18Oct10

so over the summer i interned with a new york studio called NOSANCHUK.  i learned about how a very small firm can successfully design interiors, furniture, lighting, and rugs, a little bit of everything, which is right up my alley.  i’m still trying to decipher my “calling” or whatever, sometimes i feel like i am a headcase.  i want to do all that stuff, design for clients and for myself, but i can’t see myself comfortable relinquishing control of the making, of the essence of the art.  maybe i will get a lightning bolt epiphany or something… if i’m lucky.

i’m directing this pitiful excuse for a blog toward guiding and reflecting on my thesis development.

my thesis begins as a conversation about consumption, over-consumption, and waste.  i am concerned with the amount of stuff that exists in the world and continues to be perpetually cycled in some form or another.  some of my previous work has shown consideration for reusing and or repurposing “discarded” thrift store or trash items, but i am posing the question whether at some point objects need to be laid to rest, ceremoniously or not.

one point of departure is the documentation of my own solid waste.  i am keeping detailed logs, photographing, and weighing my trash and recycling output.  i find it much more difficult to document my consumption.  i am compiling my receipts into a physical mass, but much of what i buy is “temporary,” i.e. food, so i am kind of resigned to simply that.

as the constant documentation has settled into a lifestyle, i have been on the lookout for discarded objects outside of my neighborhood dumpsters.  my second step is to collect refuse.  now i’m not interested in gathering people’s eggshells and whatnot, but more so objects that once surrounded a person in their personal environment.  another important point of my collecting is that i am not taking anything that could be of use to anyone else.  i will not buy items from the thrift store.  i will only use objects intentionally labeled “trash.”

i intend to build structures with my collected refuse.  i am not yet to this point, but my idea is to begin by using techniques i am most familiar with, from fibers and wood-working, to combine the found objects.  these structures then would be installed in public places.

in constructing my pieces, i will explore certain key elements involved with consumption and waste.  who is throwing objects out, what the objects are, why they are being disposed of…  how the installation might function: what would it mean if pieces are detachable?  if someone needs a chair, could they take one?  if a person no longer needs such and such, how could they add to the piece?

the private to the public.  when people throw out the trash, they see it as a private act.  no one else knows what is secretly hidden in there, but the truth is they are putting it directly into the public realm.  dumpsters are gone through, things inspected and removed.  in creating public installations, my intention is to force people to confront what it is to make refuse, to throw out their objects.  i am now reading the book waste and want, by susan strasser, which is helping me explore this idea.

ultimately there stands the question.  should we be throwing these objects out?  should they be repaired or repurposed and allowed to live another life elsewhere?  or is there a point, maybe definitive or subjective, where an object has reached its death?  following this line of thought, there should be a way to say goodbye to meaningful objects and to ceremoniously “bury” them as one would a loved one.  what comes to my mind is a childhood blanket gone to rags (which i have hung on to to this day), a grandparent’s chair in disrepair, and other things with personal value that are no longer functional.  one can pay respect to the item, but take a step toward relieving the world of its stuff.  the next important question would be what/where is this “graveyard.”  the book the uncommon life of common objects by akiko busch has had some influence on these ideas.

so that’s the start.  more later.

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: consumption, function, installations, nosanchuk, objects, private, public, sculpture, waste

oh hey.

29Apr10

forgive me.  this week i’ve:

bought $50 worth of used bed sheets.

cut up $50 worth of used bed sheets.

perfected the mortise and tenon joint [i'm a natural pro].

indigo dyed a crocheted blob.

learned how massive sails are made.

laser cut toxic plastic.

… to name a few…

wish i had more time in the day.  well, sometimes more energy too.  tomorrow will be jammed packed with a field trip to northern suburbs to learn about ancient textiles, sanding and filing my PETG panels for my modular wall, and dyeing fabrics for my retranslated environment of touchy-feely things.  friday through sunday i will live only for completing models of the modular wall for my crit on monday.  god i hope i get this together in time.  with some whispers of sensible design.  universe, treat me kindly.

tell you more later.

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: drawing board, dye, modular wall, woodworking

hey wordpress, it’s only the sixth.

07Apr10

i have difficulty finding time to write here.  my time is better spent baking tarts, biking in the rain, and, just maybe, working on projects for school.

but seriously, the current issue of ready-made magazine has a bangin’ vegan recipe for coconut rice pudding tart with caramelized pineapple.  i’m not even vegan.  or even usually like the taste of vegan food.  did i mention ginger snap crust??  yumtown.

my burlap chair was a flop.  literally.  but my crit last week was very successful and lead to great discussions about material and the direction i can take my project for the end of semester.

this is inspiration.  sorta.  droog man.

i also videotaped my living room last monday.  for about six full hours throughout the day.  the point was to study how i move through the space and begin to recreate it sculpturally with burlap.  the burlap will be dyed colors to represent activities that take place in my living room.  i will use light to illuminate the forms and play off the colors.  here are my first samples:

i’m very excited about this project.  i am now in the process of translating the videos into diagrams and maps.

i spent the majority of yesterday researching materials on materia.  just want to note some intriguing materials:

this is a collaboration between marianne kemp and anneke van hoogervorst.  i love marianne’s work, it’s playfully simple and curious.

i am officially in love with smile plastics, a company in the uk that recycles plastics into beautiful sheet material that can be used for all kinds of applications.  if i was rich and/or lived in the uk i would use this stuff.  they have specific products made from old cellphones, plastic bags [my favorite], bottles, refrigerators, and even ‘wellies’ aka rain boots.  so british.  they have lots of images of objects, interiors, and pieces of art that use their products.

i came across the work of yvette laduk on design*sponge blog.  her designs are whimsical and wonderful.  ‘broom of light’ yes!

this wooly vase is why i first looked into her work.  i really want one of these, but i’m sure they’re not cheap, plus a million dollars in shipping from the netherlands, right.  she inspired me to create my own ‘knitware.’  working with fabric stiffeners and resins lately led me to the idea of finding/making tatted or crocheted doilies to mold into plates and bowls with food-safe epoxy.  i imagine very delicate, feminine pieces that should inspire tea parties.

one last thing:

dot com !!!

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: burlap, dye, fabric chair, light, materia, materials, space, time

clamor.

27Mar10

just found this:

bahhhhh i want to go there!!!  best climbing wall ever!  thank you metropolitan home in my search for plywood architecture.

i’ve been checking out nendo [the designers of above wall] and can’t take my eyes off of these blow-up dyed textiles:

also, someone who has lots of money please buy me this music-cage speaker.

i could look at this site all day long.  so inspirational.

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: architecture, nendo, textiles

almost spring break.

17Mar10

last week i messed around with burlap and the ‘five elements’ and came up with some cool stuff.  the origami was fun and really interesting, but didn’t lead me anywhere.  i am attempting to germinate seeds and grow some plants in burlap – no soil.  lots of water and sun.  i really think this is going to fail, but when i see my six jars everyday in the kitchen window, i hopeihopeihopeihope.

my favorite experiment was inspired by wood.  i laminated six pieces of burlap together with flour paste.  i alternated the bias in each layer, thinking of plywood.  i first made a tile-like 12″ square, then made one mold around a form [a bowl].  it was very successful and dried very hard.  i want to see how far i can push this, like could i make a chair a la bent plywood?  would it be structural?  would it hold a body?  what would it be like????  i’m very excited about this project and to see what i can make burlap do and how to make it appear more solid than it really is.

burlap has seeped into another project in my fashion&architecture class.  i think i just really like burlap.  i want to dye this light-colored burlap that i found, to see how bright and colorful i can get it.  i bought a wide range of affordable and beautiful color procion dyes as well as dye activator and salt from pro chemical and dye.  i’m also using light to play off the surface and irregularities of the fibers.  i’m experimenting with different kinds of battery-powered leds… i found these websites really helpful: christmas lights, party brights, and save on crafts.  i even found a really cool vine-wire with leds that i may try to sew into the burlap like seams.  i plan to make an environment of burlap and light, and again, i want to see how unlike burlap i can get it by dyeing it and layering it onto itself and with light.

my wall is coming along very slowly, due to the previously mentioned projects [streeeeessssss].  i was studying the book tilings and patterns and, based on penrose tiles, decided to change my unit from the equilateral triangle to two isosceles triangles each with a 36 degree angle [they form decagons and stars].  these triangles can be configured in 2-d as well as assembled easily in 3-d.

this wall will contain light units.  much work and research will be done as to how light units can be inserted into a wall and be able to turn on/off.  i’m too tired to wrap my head around it and discuss it now…

also, progress on squishy wall:

it’s bigger than it looks.

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: burlap, cardboard, chair, dye, geometry, lights, modular wall, plywood

materials, vomit.

09Mar10

i finished this hat over the weekend:

it is made of the softest [expensive] alpaca yarn from loopy yarns, and of course came out too big for my head.  the pattern is quite easy and came from the book ‘boutique knits.’  speaking of books, someone please buy me this:

the patterns shown on interweave make me drooooooool.  they look impossibly hard, but nothing makes me want to waste time more than decoding challenging knitting patterns.

in other news, i’ve been organizing the beginnings of a personal materials ‘library’ [ha!] … i have about 4 items officially categorized so far.  i’ve been researching intriguing materials for my evolutionary textiles class.  i have no specific idea of what i would do with it, but i’m a little obsessed with concrete canvas.

a sample of it would come pre-hardened and cost me $30 to ship it from the uk…. so i’ve been thinking of less wonderfully beautiful and more affordable materials with similar characteristics [i.e. setting around a form with the addition of water].  the first thing i think of is plaster cloth [whoa boring], but was recently introduced to materials impregnated with glue used in millinery, such as wonderflex and fosshape.  i am attempting to procure free samples of those.  i’m thinking about playing around with buckram as well, which i will get from vogue fabrics here in chicago.

so another assignment for that class is to experiment with how the ‘five chinese elements’ [wood, fire, earth, metal/air, and water] relate to a textile.  i like air way better than metal and keep thinking about a paper airplane soaring through the air.  i’ve been googling origami airplanes and birds and am fascinated with the things i find:

clearly this isn’t an airplane, but it is awesomely 3-d.  i found it on illustratorium by artist joseph wu.  translating origami from paper to fabric shouldn’t be too difficult.  i think silk swans, folded napkins, and amazing fashion creations.  this folded silk curve by en why see is really cool, it looks so mathematical:

chris k. palmer does incredible geometrical silk origami work in shadowfolds and even teaches architecture with a geometric twist.  i am in <3 .

well that knocks one of the elements out, so i guess i’ll spend the rest of the day playing around with seeds, splinters, dirt, bathroom ventilation, and of course, fire.

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  2 Comments
Tags: fabric, geometry, knitting, materials, origami, yarn

i don’t know how to blog.

06Mar10

so i’m beginning a blog in order to force myself to get online more and create a virtual presence.  i don’t really know what to do, so i will be conversing with myself about ongoing projects and idea.

i work on so many things simultaneously and tend to get lost in my own web of ideas.  maybe this will help untangle these threads of thought!

i started knitting nested bowls that i want to felt… assuming that i can figure out how to in the shoddy washing machines in my apartment building’s basement.  i’ve already found that the slight differences in the weight of my leftover yarns are going to impair the nesting qualities of the bowls, but whatevs.  this is an easy project to do when i need to rest my brain.

a long term piece i’m working on is a soft modular, mutable sculpture…

the concept revolves around ideas of reusing old fabrics and scraps and the traditions in textiles such as quilts and rugs [i recently worked on a project remaking the american braided rug into a garment].  i am attempting to make a piece or two every day, but this has proven to be impossible.  it’s shown here pinned to a wall, but the function and/or presentation is still in the works.

along the same lines i’m designing a modular wall…  in the first phase i made canvas equilateral-triangle-based units with zippered edges.  assembled together and hooked onto a flat plywood ‘wall,’ the surface was taut and 2-d.  i explored the 3-d possibilities, and the results were soft and sagging.  while interesting, i’m searching for a more rigid material.

in research i’ve found the airflake by abstracta and clouds by the bouroullec brothers.  i’m infatuated with both.  the airflake is wonderful in both material and variety of units.  i especially love the piece with the pocket… so great.  i’ve been thinking about hanging units with pockets a lot lately.  the bouroullec guys are amazing all around, and i first saw their cloud at the art institute of chicago where i go to school.  their design has just one piece comprised of unequal scored triangles.  when bent and assembled via tabs and rubber bands, the form becomes wholly organic.  this is what i’m striving for in my work.  i’ve been stuck on the equilateral triangle for simplicity’s sake, but it’s time to take some geometrical risks.

gotta get dat.

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: design, felting, geometry, knitting, modular wall, quilting