Inside a Maker's Mind

Gotye: somebody that I used to know

2012-01-29T09:07:00.000-08:00

Love all those hands in there...

Florence annd the Machine

2012-01-13T06:43:00.000-08:00

Can't stop listening to Florence Welch..her voice is so incredible

Girls

2012-01-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

Love this......

Ana Mendieta

2011-12-30T10:14:00.000-08:00

video still "Body Tracks"

1982

A na Mendieta was a cuban-born performance artist, sculptor, video artist and painter who immigrated to the US when she was only 12 in order to escape Castro's regime. Mendieta struggled with issues of place and belonging and her work delt with these issues as well as themes of feminism, gender, violence, life and death.

Mendieta lived to be only 37. In September of 1985, Mendieta died from a fall from her 34th floor Greenwich Village apartment in New York, after an argument with her husband of only eight months, minimalist sculptor Carl Andre. Andre was tried and acquitted of second-degree murder, although close friends of Mendieta, like the American visual artist Carolee Schneeman, argued Mendieta's death was not suicide.

Two of Mendieta's most iconinc series are her Silueta Series and her Body Tracks Series.

In the Silueta Series, Mendieta placed her nude body into a natural scene, painted her body to mimic the natural scene and placed herself there, left an ephemeral silhouette of her body in the earth, or sculpted/drew the image of a female form into nature, which would wear away with time.

Untitled (Grass on Woman)

1972

Tree of Life Series

1973-1980

Untitled drawing in sand

1970s

Silueta Series in Mexico

1973-1978

One of her most powerful pieces is from her early performance career while she was attending the University of Iowa. There was a woman who was raped and murdered on the Iowa campus and Mendieta responded with protest to the way the school's administration chose to handle the situation (hush, hush and hopefully it will go away) by staging an image of what the scene might look like.

Unititled (Rape Scene)

1973

Friends and fellow students were invited to her apartment. Upon arriving they found Mendieta stretched across a table and tied up, half nude and covered in blood. In this way Mendieta was attempting to "name" rape, to create an image of it and to avoid allowing rape to be overlooked.

The use of blood in Mendieta's work is very important and linked to her childhood development in Cuba, where she was raised under the religion of Santeria, which commonly employs rituals of animal sacrifice, exposing Mendieta to the power of blood from an early age.

Unititled

Body Tracks Series

1974

stretched out and tied up - her almost-nude body smeared in blo

I was at the Art Institute of Chicago last night and currently on display are a nice collection of photographs and drawings from the Silueta Series, as well as one Silueta Series video and one Body Tracks video until January 15th, 2012. Diane and Bruce Hall currently own these works and will be handing the work off to the Art Institute in the future, making this the largest collection of Mendieta's work to be owned by any one museum. THANK YOU! Very exciting that Mendieta's work will be so close. I look forward to going back and seeing it again and again.

Guerra de la Paz: Follow the Leader

2011-12-28T10:26:00.000-08:00

The Craft Alliance in St. Louis is hosting an exciting exhibition by Cuban-born artists Alain Guerra and Neraldo de la Paz, who call themselves Guerra de la Paz. The installation concept and title reference the children's game "Follow the Leader," and suggest critique of social order and hierarchies.

I love the manipulation of discarded clothing to form bodies and wonder what it might smell like...considering we all leave some part of ourselves on our clothing, especially if they are worn for very long.

If you are in St. Louis any time before January 29th, stop by The Craft Alliance and check it out! Let me know what you think!

Nick Cave: Meet me at the Center of the Earth

2011-12-28T10:11:00.000-08:00

It has been about 14 years since Chicago artist Nick Cave created his first sound suit. In March 2011, the Seattle Art Museum hosted a large collection of Nick Cave's work including some of his most well known as well as his newest soundsuits , called Meet me at the Center of the Earth. The show presented room after room of the oddly formed suits accompanied by videos of the soundsuits in action and objects Cave made during production of the suits to practice his techniques. Lucky for us, a lusciously illustrated catalog was printed that documents Cave's development from objects to soundsuits, includes historical and contemporary references, essays and an interview with Cave fill the pages of this 240 page must-have catalog.

What is a sound suit? My definition of Nick Cave's soundsuits is that they are wearable collections of found objects or natural materials that are intentionally and meticulously combined, appliqued, embroidered, sewn and fabricated together to create bulbous, textured skins that can be worn and performed. Some of the suits create sound when the objects attached to the suit hit each other when Cave dances, or jumps while wearing the suit. The suits became "soundsuits" in 1998, when Cave made a suit of sticks and enjoyed the sound it made when he put the suit on and performed it.

SOUNDSUIT 1998

twigs, wire, metal armature

SOUNDSUIT 2006

appliqued construction with found knitted, woven, and crocheted fabric

SOUNDSUIT 2009

human hair, metal armature

SOUNDSUIT 2006

patchwork knitted and crocheted found fabric, drier lint, socks, driftwood, metal armature

SOUNDSUIT 2009

found abacus, fabric with appliqued buttons, metal armature

SOUNDSUIT 2009

plastic sandwich bags, Barbie dolls covered and stitched in found knit fabric, metal armature

I really enjoy the variety of materials that Cave employs in his work. Nothing is off limits! From crocheted bags, doilies, sweaters and sequins to pieces of wood, plastic buttons, toys and bags to covering Barbie dolls with fabric (above). I believe Cave's choice to "mine" objects that exist in culture to talk about our existence in culture and ability to shift culture is incredibly relevant and totally cool.

Aside from the solid collection of amazing photographs archiving Cave's development, I also really enjoyed reading the essays included to preface the work. My favorite essay was by Dan Cameron.

Cameron notes Cave's need to create an autonomous object, and appreciates the life these objects create when they are performed. Cameron also acknowledges the difficulties of "reconciling time-based art - i.e. performance - with the static object." Cameron then positions Cave in art and social history as a contemporary of Joseph Beuys, whose performance and video work created a path to attempt to deal with time-based art and the residual object and Leigh Bowery, whose shape-shifting costumes and gender bending performances are considered to be some of the greatest influences of the 1980s and 1990s London and New York Fashion circles, including singer-songwriter Boy George and British fashion designer, Alexander McQueen.

Joseph Beuys

"How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare"

Performance still

1965

Leigh Bowery

In addition to Cameron's placement of Cave's work in Art and Fashion History, he notes the ornamentation and performance of Cave's work as drawing similarities to the American Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans.

Ervin "Honey" Barrister, Creole Wild West

shows off his Mardi Gras Indian costume during the West Bank Super Sunday Parade

1997

"Creole Wild West: Mardi Gras Indians"

Louisiana Humanities

2008

I was so excited to be introduced to the Mardi Gras Indians because I feel like it is very easy to expect a connection between Cave's work and African tribal dance, because there is certainly a connection there (in fact, the exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum was run in conjunction with an exhibition of African tribal artifacts and video documentation of African tribal dances), however I appreciated the Mardi Gras Indian connection since it is an African-AMERICAN tradition and Cave is an American, after all.

Anrealage

2011-12-27T10:21:00.000-08:00

Many apologies for being quiet lately. Holidays and travel have kept me away. I have so many things to write about! I'm going to warm up with a few quick posts over the next few days, then hopefully some book reviews.

Who likes architectural fashion? I do! I came upon Anrealage during a recent online search and it is making me want to build more three dimensionally with fabric. Anrealage is a tokyo-based fashion house under Kunihiko Morinaga.

This was anrealage's 2009 autumn/winter line, however it seems the house has moved from the masculine boxy chest to the exaggerated poofy shoulder in its spring/summer 2011 collection. I always love a good poof!

VCUarts Viewbook

2011-11-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

Virginia Commonwealth University just put out its beautifully designed 2011 Digital Viewbook publication. This document is sent to potential students to show them all of the wonderful things that VCU's school of the arts is involved in currently and has impacted through their continued effort to support students in the arts. I was selected as their Crafts and Material Investigation alum to be showcased in the "Where are they Now" section. If you have a chance, take a look through this incredible catalog (totally viewable digitally here) and see what VCU has been up to.

ArtPrize Part 1

2011-09-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of ArtPrize? If not, you need to ask someone.... What is ArtPrize?

"ArtPrize^® is a radically open competition. Open to any artist in the world who canfind space. Open to anybody in Grand Rapids, Michigan who wants tocreate a venue. Open to a vote from anyone who attends."

With top prize being $250,000 and $244,000 in other prizes, why wouldn't you apply?

What is exciting about ArtPrize is that anyone can apply, the public votes for the big prizes, so anyone can win. Placing the power on the public eye is an incredible opportunity. What I enjoyed the most was hearing people publicly pronounce what they think of art. How exciting! Coming from an artist, I can say that I often consider what I want my artwork to do, but don't often get to hear what it is doing.

Yes, there was certainly a lot of "My Kid Could Do That" but what I also heard was "This is the wrong room for that", "That is just the right height" and, one of my favorites "I'd buy that." Even if you don't win prizes as an artist entered in the competition, I've heard that there is still a lot of artwork that gets sold, so that is pretty exciting.

I downloaded my iphone app, prepared myself for voting and walked around for about five hours on Saturday. I know I didn't even come close to seeing it all, but of what I saw, here are some of my favorite art works, venues and collaborations...

This collaboration between Site:Lab and U and M School of Art and Design. Site:Lab is a non-profit organization that brings together vacant buildings and projects in the Grand Rapids area and students and faculty from U and M School of Art and Design took over this incredible 3 story building and filled it with sculpture, interactive and performative work. Definitely one of my favorite buildings.

Guiding Light Mission - A message about the attempt to void education in the midwest

Nice collection of handmade work as well as video installation at the Calvin (106) Gallery

The digital print of Mimi Kato is still one of my absolute favorites. Kato calls the work her "one person theatre" since she performed each character in this twenty foot long print inspired by the style of 16th century Japanese paintinigs. The painting critically depicts the daily routines of people living in ordinary suburban towns in Japan and is aptly titled "One Ordinary Day of an Ordinary Town" and was showcased at the Kendall College of Art and Design Galleries.

Also being shown in the Kendall Galleries is the work of Johnathon Brilliant who sculpts room size installations from ordinary objects like wooden coffee stir sticks and paper coffee cups.

I also really enjoyed the prints he made from the impression of the wooden sticks run through the press in the printmaking department.

The huge lizards by Juniper Tangpuz installed outside of the Devos Place building. The chameleons are constructed of corrogated plastic and zip ties and are super fun and colorful. This one was on of my favorites because he has a craft lamp post coming out of his head. Talk about trying to blend in with his settings!

Love these little candy-like treats made of reclaimed foam and rubber by Joni Younkins-Herzog. They look like little bunt cakes!

Screwed Rapids Time Lapse from ScrewedArts on Vimeo.

This incredible installed painting on panel by the Screwed Arts Collective at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts was a great way to wrap things up. I would really love to show at this venue.

If you are interested in applying for ArtPrize I would say take the time to visit Grand Rapids now, get a feel for the land, the venues and opportunities to install art anywhere in the city, vote and apply next year with me!

UICA

Picasso to Koons: The Artist as Jeweler

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Jeff Koons

"Rabbit Necklace"

Platinum

2005-2009

If you are going to be in NYC before January 8th, I would check out this show at the Museum of Arts and Design. Of course, I was there 2 days before it opened, so I did not get to see the show, but I peeked through the doors where it was being put up, and it looks like they have a nice collection of work.

What I love about this show is that ongoing argument about sculpture vs jewelry and here we find jewelry objects that were made by prominent 20th and 21st century artists. Artists including Jeff Koons, Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, Jasper John, Anish Kapoor and (the pieces I will be the saddest to miss) Louise Bourgeois will be included in the exhibition.

If you are like me and can not get back to NYC before it closes, at least take a look at the lovely exhibition catalog.

Museum of Arts and Design Open Studios

2011-09-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

Last week I traveled to NYC to visit friends and see some art. I ended up making my way to the Museum of Arts and Design, looking for installation ideas for my upcoming show in October and looking forward to visiting MAD since I had never been there. MAD's Open Studios program is a program I became interested in last spring and I was eager to see the type of work that was being made there as well as get a first hand view of the studio space the work was being made in. The building itself was odd, an unusually small and awkward footprint in the center of town, which created 4 floors of equally odd space. The studios looked more like offices, but had cases of work made by artists in the program.

While I was visiting, there were two artists from Taiwan working in the space. Chen Shao-yi who was delicately painting ceramic doll heads with intricate floral patterns that, according to her postcard, she later composed into freaky wall installations...

And Su Su-jen who was weaving bamboo into a lamp-like sculpture. Su-jen's postcard was proclaiming the benefits of working with bamboo, a renewable material with infinite shaping and manipulation possibilities. And while she was forming a long oval like shape, her postcard imaged a couch-like shape composed of several formed spheres.

I'm glad I visited and saw the work being produced there. If I ever end up applying for this program, it's helpful to know what the space looks like. Here are some images of past work that was made in the open studios.

Patrice Yourdon sews together small wearable objects of nylon mesh then pierces the nylon mesh with dozens of drywall screws. A process she considers to be both masculine and feminine.

Li-Rong Liao designs and constructs furniture from origami folds. All those folds must make these pieces pretty strong, right? The grey piece has glass resting on top of it. I wonder how much weight can sit on top of it??

It's about time....

2011-09-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

Boy Pin-ups...Thanks Carly.

Introduction to Metal Sculpture

2011-09-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

I feel lucky to have the opportunity to be teaching Introduction to Metal Sculpture at the Evanston Art Center starting September 12th. Not only is the EAC the only art center in the Chicago Area to offer workshops and classes in steel fabrication, but they have incredible opportunities for artists and some pretty exciting shows.

The upcoming exhibition, Dimensional Lines: art and dress, is an example of one of the unique and interesting shows. The Evanston art center invited a group of established local artists to collaborate to create the exhibit, Dimensional Lines, which explores the relationship between art and fashion. As a maker who is interested in where these two mediums collide, or intersect, I am very excited for this show to open Sept 11.

Theo Jansen

2011-08-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

I've been following the dutch artist/kinetic sculptor Theo Jansen for a while now. If you don't know his work, it's incredible. He lives on the windy beaches of the Netherlands and has created large self-propelling beach wondering "beasts." Jansen has developed an air pressure system that helps propel the creatures after the windy beach weather begins their movement.

For a quick view of some of his creatures in action, check out this ad where BMW has somehow taken his brilliance and credited towards their brand.

If you have a few more minutes, in this TED video Jansen explains the technology begin his creatures

I just received an email in my inbox that Jansen has created a take home version. HOW COOL! Have your own little Theo Jansen creature on your desk at work or at home for inspiration. You can order your own here.

City Museum

2011-08-21T10:05:00.001-07:00

Last weekend while in St. Louis we visited one of the coolest museums I've ever been to. The City Museum is a 600,000 square foot maze of welded steel tunnels, slides and climbing structures housed in a former ten story international shoe company building. The founder and sculptor responsible for the creation of this St. Louis favorite is Bob Cassilly. Bob employs a crew of over 20 artisans who have constructed and are continually adding to the museum since its opening in 1997. Cassilly and his team include materials only found in St Louis, giving the city museum its urban roots. What a super cool time. It's open until 1:00am and we ran, climbed and slide our way through as much of the ten floors as we could in five hours and still didn't see it all. If in St. Louis, it's a must. I would totally travel there again just to try to find all the crevices I couldn't find before.

St Louis

2011-08-16T08:40:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Dave and I traveled to St. Louis to visit some friends. I really love cities with history and St. Louis is not only the heart of the midwest, but the location where Thomas Jefferson officially opened westward expansion (Gateway Memorial Arch). We ate great food, saw turn of the century architecture and enjoyed some incredible weather with beautiful sunsets. Great trip!

Sweet Art

2011-08-15T14:29:00.001-07:00

I ate at SweetArt over the weekend while we were visiting friends in St. Louis. What an incredible place! Great eats and great vibe from this place. All vegetarian and vegan brunch and lunch options including a huge selection of cupcakes and other delicious baked goods. The owner, Cbabi Bayoa, is a very talented painter and the walls of their restaurant are adorned with a selection of his work. His studio is in the back of the shop and when I was there it was open so I was able to peek in and see what he is currently working on. What a great shop if you are hungry in St. Louis!

Strange Vegetation

2011-08-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

A site specific installation by Yevgeniya Kaganovich and Nathaniel Stern at the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum in Milwaukee Wisconsin

Sarah Holden MFA Gallery Talk University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

2011-06-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

many, many, thanks to the amazing kate brandt.

FiberArts Sadness

2011-06-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

For more than 30 years FIBERARTS magazine has covered contemporary fiber work as well as technical information, and even supporting an annual student art exhibition. It is with great sadness that the magazine will stop publishing due to a lack of support. I really enjoy this magazine! I am sad to see it go.

Home Fried

2011-06-21T17:52:00.000-07:00

Thank you Crafthaus

GAGA

2011-06-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

Lady Gaga is such a weirdo! I just love all those crazy outfits though.. Like a modern day Bowie, Madonna or Prince. Weird it up Girl!

Interview on BlogTalkRadio

2011-06-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

Last month I traveled to Seattle, Washington to visit the Society of North American Goldsmith's annual conference. Among the artist lectures, gallery exhibitions and demonstrations, I was interviewed by Jay Whaley for his Metalsmith Benchtalk radio about my practice. Check out my interview on his site here. Below is the audio from my interview. My interview begins at the 90:50minute mark, and unfortunately it gets a little mucked up in the middle, but what you can hear sounds pretty good.Check it out!!
Pretty cool!
Thanks Jay!

Listen to
internet radio with whaleystudios on Blog Talk Radio

Phoenix Handcraft

2011-05-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

I just heard from an old friend from undergrad who has started his own business since I last heard from him. Kyle Lucia and Johannah Willsey's Richmond, Virginia based, Phoenix Handcraft, a company creating custom furniture, gates, railings and mosaics. Kyle and I were often in metals and furniture classes together, and it looks like he has really soared since I spoke with him last. Kyle was known as the guy that always put in the extra time, always went the extra mile and made sure seams were perfect and the fit was always tight! The gallery of work being produced by the duo looks incredible. My favorite is definitely the pineapple arbor followed closely by a floor mosaic and fireplace screen. However, it doesn't stop there. These two could do just about anything. There is an incredible collection of hand made furniture and it looks like they are currently working on a mosaic at a local elementary school, and plenty of current projects on their facebook page. Congrats you two. Congrats, congrats, congrats. Looks like you are staying busy doing what you love.

Society for Contemporary Craft's Rapheal Founder's Prize

2011-05-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

The Society for Contemporary Craft is hosting its bi-annual Raphael Founder's Prize and this year the category is for small metals and addresses the theme of "transformation."

The selection review committee for the 2011 prize will include guest jurors Bruce W. Pepich, Executive Director and Curator of Collections at the Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI, internationally known jeweler Natalya Pinchuk, Pittsburgh, PA; Alexandra Raphael, enamel artist, London, England; Catherine Raphael, metalsmith and storyteller, Pittsburgh, PA, Margaret Raphael, filmmaker, Hunker, PA and Kate Lydon, director of exhibitions, society of contemporary craft.

I am really excited about this prize and recommend all that can to apply! Here is a link to the prospectus. Applications due June 3rd, 2011!

Susie Ganch visits the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

2011-05-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

Last week Susie Ganch came to UWM and spent the whole day with the Jewelry and Metalsmithing students. I was lucky enough to show Susie my MFA thesis show in the morning then Susie went right into demo-ing cold connections and a group critique in the afternoon leading up to her artist lecture. Susie talked about her traveling art project, Radical Jewelry Makeover and their latest installment in Santa Fe. We topped the evening off with a party at Yevgeniya's house. What a lovely treat at the end of my MFA experience. Thanks again Susie for making it out here!

Potent Materials

2011-04-25T23:07:00.001-07:00

Images of my Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, Potent Materials, at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee are now up.

Portraits of Protest

2011-04-05T23:36:00.000-07:00

Kevin J Miyazaki has created a 4 minute video of portraits he took of demonstrators in Madison,WI. Very nicely done. Gets me inspired just looking at all those great signs!

Portrait Of A Protest: Madison, Wisconsin from Kevin J. Miyazaki on Vimeo.

Thanks Justseeds.

Weekly protest poster

2011-03-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks justseeds.

Twenty Three Twenty Updated

2011-03-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

Back in November I posted about a traveling show I was in called 20/3/20. The show consisted of 20 artists who were invited to make a ring in 3 weeks (20 artists/ 3 weeks/ 20 rings). The first one-night show was in Chicago at a private loft, which traveled to Athens, GA and was exhibited at the Lamar Dodd School of Art during University of Georgia's Cartona Study Abroad program reunion. After Athens, the show traveled to Greenville, North Carolina and was exhibited during East Carolina University's 2011 Metals Symposium: Shifting Traditions. Mike Ruta and Justin Klocke put the show together and and did a stellar job. I've noticed that the website they created to document the show is now updated, complete with photos from each show and a time lapse video showing people interacting with the work. The website looks great!

I love seeing shows like this come together. Artists bringing communities of artists together and bringing the work to the public. I love how at each show people are drinking beers, having fun, and interacting with the WORK! That's what its about, right? I love seeing formal shows too, but its nice to see people who just want to get their work out there, so they gather friends who bring different skills to the table and just do it! I also love the effort to create a very nicely documented space online so hopefully others will get turned on to the idea and we can see more events like this in the future. I think events like this are where the field is going. Check the site out here.

The Tradesman: Making an Art of Work

2011-03-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

This is a new documentary that I am really looking forward to. Richard Yeagley has created this documentary to highlight the necessary work that tradespeople do, that as a culture we consider somehow less valuable than academic pursuits. Yeagley seeks to highlight the fact that we all desire people to do this work, yet somehow have a bias towards manual labor. I like that he's asking these questions, trying to get some conversations started about how we got here and why we think this way. The documentary is scheduled to premier on May 12th at the Charles Theater in Baltimore, Yeagley's home town. Check out more videos on the documentary's website here. I think my favorite one is the historic video that talks about how the Industrial Revolution created a need for these jobs, unions and an entire middle-class! And I always love watching those old shop videos. Especially since union rights has been such a heated topic in Wisconsin lately, it was nice to see some more support for the people that make so much of our daily lives function.

Straight Cut!

2011-02-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

Geo Planter from mgmy

Silver "V" ring from huiyitan

coin purse by definitionofself

knitted scarf by okapiknits

I have been overwhelmed with how often my work has been making it into ETSY treasuries lately. If you don't know about ETSY, you should. I love being a part of this community because I love meeting people who love my work (its really nice to have an ego boost sometimes) and I just love all the free advertising! Treasuries are collections of items that are put together following a theme that is decided by the curator of the treasury and then sent out.

I just was just included in this one called STRAIGHT CUT, and I LOVE it. Here are some of my other favorite items on the treasury. Check out the rest of the treasury here. Thank you eviko!

The final push

2010-12-06T07:10:00.001-08:00

The students are working extra hard these last few days before the semester finishes. There is quite a ruckas when all 21 of them are raising outside my studio. It's pretty amazing.

20/3/20

2010-11-06T20:17:00.001-07:00

I ended up staying in Chicago tonight and went over to Mike Ruta's show of rings, 20/3/20. Not only was their space huge and amazing but they did a great job presenting the rings in the show. The rings were presented on a few salvaged boards hanging in the middle of the room and secured with a cable tied to the boards. Mike showed me his studio in the front corner of the room (which had a very nice vice and drill press...I'm totally jealous) and several guests hanging, chatting and sipping on beers. What an excellent idea to have such a chill show at the same time as SOFA, which is totally crazy all day long. Also, Mr. Jaime Bennett was there, introduced himself as Frank, or something that wasn't Jaime Bennett but I knew better. I see you Mr. Bennett. Very nice selection of rings included in the show. I'm very glad I was invited to participate. Hard to believe everything was created in 3 weeks! It isn't set up yet, but in next week sometime you should be able to see all the rings as well as images of each of the artist's studio spaces on a website that Mike setup here. Thanks Mike for including me in the show!

Would You Wear This?

2010-11-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

I will have work exhibited for this show at the Exquisite Corpse Gallery in Kalamazoo MI. Opening this Friday from 5-9pm. Check it out!!

Composite: Annual Object Jewelry Sale

2010-11-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

Monday, November 22nd 9:00am to 8:00pm 2200 Kenwood Blvd Milwaukee WI 53211

Preview Images Object Jewelry Sale COMPOSITE

2010-10-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

GhettoBlaster Anamorphic

2010-10-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me, I am obsessed with ghettoblasters, i.e. boomboxes. Check out this sweet anamorphic ghettoblaster I found on youtube, complete with lady ornament.

Loving this long autumn!

2010-10-25T18:13:00.000-07:00

It has been especially warm here in Milwaukee. By this time last year we definitely had snow on the ground, but its been more like a VA autumn with the temperatures still in the 60s. Just wanted to take a few moments to enjoy it while it lasts...

Crusot Steam Hammer

2010-10-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling rather badass this week, therefore I feel this post is perfectly appropriate for the week. Thank you to my good friend Isaac for sending this my way.

The most badass hammer in history is the Crusot Steam Hammer. A 19th century industrial marvel created to forge extremely large pieces of molten metal. The process of forging makes a piece of metal extremely strong, and the crystals in the crystaline structure are very close together. This is the best process for tools that are going to be hit over and over again (say an anvil for instance) versus casting, which can produce rather brittle results. This hammer was not for making anvils though, this would have been used to make larger pieces for buildings, which need to be extremely strong.

Originally created in 1836 the Crusot Steamer originally weighed an amazing 750 tons and stood over 5 stories high. The steam powered piston could deliver a blow of over 100 tons but also had the capability of performing rather precise tasks as well. Currently disabled and functioning only as a monument in the small french town of Crusot, this hammer had a long productive life until advances in hydraulics in the 1930's rendered it obsolete.

This is by far the best part. A 1904 Library of Congress film of the historic hammer in action. I can't stop watching this.

I love seeing this huge piece of metal get completely slammed by this hammer. There are about 10 men who wrangle the piece with a rather interesting jig, throw flux all over it before it gets forged (sparks and shale flying everywhere!) and they use some type of hammer tools - I'm not sure if it is to forge it into specific shapes or leave some type of surface texture - either way, definitely worth 4 minutes of your life.

Reposted from thereifixedit.

Bruce Metcalf

2010-10-02T08:22:00.000-07:00

Bruce Metcalf came to visit UWM this week and if you don't know about Bruce he is a studio jeweler and critic who has impacted the studio jewelry world for the last 40 years. Bruce was invited by Object - our metals student organization - to talk about his work and interact with the metals students. Along with his public artist lecture (which you can hear the podcast here) Bruce chatted with the advanced forming metals class and did a class critique with 9 selected students. His conversations about the work the students presented were both critical and fun, as you can see Bruce does enjoy a good performance. (You can also catch a glimpse of our new facility..isn't it great?)

Personally I enjoyed the conversation we had with Bruce the most. The class was required to read his 2001 essay from Metalsmith Magazine, "The Problem with the Fountain," and respond to it or any of his other writings in question form. We had a very interesting 2 hour conversation about everything from Duchamp to DIY. It is a very special opportunity to have an open forum with a major voice in the critical craft community and I only wish I had a full hour critique with him instead of only 5 minutes.

Bruce was in town to promote the Wisconsin stop on the tour of his Retrospective, which began at the Palo Alto Art Center last year and may still be traveling after it's stop here at the Racine Art Museum, but I'm not entirely sure, more information about the tour here.

Also very important and exciting to note is the completion of Makers: A History of American Studio Craft by both Bruce and Janet Koplos. The book is the first textbook-like print to document contemporary studio craft and I know other grad programs where this is already a required reading assignment. How very exciting to be living in this moment in time, when we can see the roots of our field expanding and becoming more solid.

Where Good Ideas Come From

2010-09-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

Saw this great video today on Boing Boing from Steve Johnson whose new book "Where Good Ideas Come From" has just come out, and from this video it looks like it is a pretty good read. I like what he says about how today we have more and more opportunities to connect with each other and make great ideas because of the internet. Very cute video too, you know I always love a good visual. A good little video to watch if you have time.

Making fun of Hipsters is funny

2010-09-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

Actually one of my favorite things lately is anyone who pokes fun at Hipsters. Thanks to Gillian for sending this one my way. In the UK they must refer to them as dickheads, pretty hilarious...

Henrique Oliveira

2010-09-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

These are so of my favorite images this week! Henrique Oliveira is a Brazilian artist who uses reclaimed wood to create large wooden amorphous installations. To me, these installations look like the body. I see fat bellies, organs, and breasts. I LOVE this work.

Oliveira finds his reclaimed wood, which he calls Tapumes, which is the portugese word for this thrown out wood and also the name of this series, then he tints the wood, bends it and shapes it into these forms. It is very lovely to look at in the images. I'd love to see it in person, but I bet I couldn't resist touching it!

In one of his more recent works the installations are starting to seep out of the building. How very, very cool.

Tapumes

2008
Galerie Vallois, Paris

Tapumes
2009
Rice Gallery, Houston

Tapumes

2006
Sao Paulo Cultural Center

Artist preparing wood for installation

Pit

2008
Object

Tapumes - Casa dos Leoes
2009
VII Bienal do Meroscul, Porto Alegre

UW Milwaukee. Circa 1973

2010-09-20T08:07:00.001-07:00

Photo Credit: John W. Alley

Reproductive Identity

2010-09-15T06:53:00.001-07:00

Over this summer I finished reading this amazing collection of essays, in a book titled, Writing on the body: Female Embodiment and Feminist Theory, edited by Katie Conboy, Nadia Medina, and Sarah Stanbury.

An essay titled, "Medical Metaphors of Women's Bodies: Menstration and Menopause" by Emily Martin, discusses how women are identified by their reproductive ability, whether that be during their fruitful years or not. I found this essay to be not only biologically specific and informative, for someone who has never studied medicine, but also parallel some commonly presented notions of desire based on a woman's ability to reproduce.

Although this book is full of amazing perspectives on seeing the female body, I wanted to post about it because I had this amazing experience in Thailand and China over the summer that relates to this text. In several Buddhist temples in both Thailand and China there are these enormous dog-like creatures that guard the entrance ways (the ones in Thailand were gifts from the Chinese Imperial government).

There is always one creature on the left of the doorway and one on the right of the doorway. I didn't even really notice at first that they were different (there is SO much to look at in these places) until our tour guide asked the question, "Can you tell which one is the boy and which one is the girl?" After inspecting them carefully I responded, "There is a penis and testicles on that one, so that one must be male." To which our tour guide responded "We don't look at things like that," so the delicately carved anatomy that someone spent countless hours articulating doesn't matter. What he pointed out was that in both figures the animal has one paw rested on an object, in the male statue the paw is rested on a ball, a symbol of freedom and fun, while the female counterpart has her paw rested on a baby dog-like creature.

So we disregard anatomy and look instead for a symbol of woman's reproductive ability. I found this to be extremely interesting, especially since I had just read about it. And it continued, I saw this creature everywhere, and the female animal was always confirmed as female by her ability to reproduce a child.

The Impossible Project

2010-09-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you that know me, you know that I am a huge fan of Polaroid instant film. If you are also one of the many lovers of Polaroids, you know that in late 2008, Polaroid closed its last factory producing instant film and has left many users scrambling to gather the reserves of film that still exist.

I recently discovered the Impossible Project, a team of former Polaroid employees who have dedicated themselves to the re-production of instant analog film, and have learned a little more about the Impossible Project story.

So the story goes that Florian Kaps, an instant film super fan, was in a Netherlands pub drinking a beer with a manager of a nearby Polaroid factory that had just been closed. Outraged and motivated by the fact that $130 million dollars of Polaroid production equipment was set to be destroyed in just a few days Kaps created what seemed Impossible. Kaps invested and acquired not just the equipment and factory needed to save Polaroid, but hired a group of ten former Polaroid employees who were more than happy to work in the struggle to save instant film.

The Impossible Project research facility is in Enschede, Netherlands, in the north building of one of the last Polaroid plants and has taken on the almost impossible task of reinventing analog instant film. These heros face the challenge of replacing and upgrading expensive chemical components which are out of production and no longer available.

Polaroid, which gained its iconic reputation under scientist and inventor Edwin Land, released its first analog instant film in 1948 and ran into both monetary and strategic problems when Land passed away in 1991 at age 81.

The Impossible Project has set its goals high and plans to create several new analog instant film products, the first of which, the PX Silver Shade System, has already been released. I have had very little experience with this new monochrome system, but what I can tell you is that it is very sensitive to light and temperature, which yields a WIDE variety of results. Can I also just clear up now that SHAKING A POLAROID PICTURE IS THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO!

Here are a few photos recently taken at my iron forging workshop with Impossible Project film. (Channel old shop photos from early 1900s). Thank you to Valentina for taking these lovely photos of us!

Impossible says that this new film has some 29 layers and uses 13 new chemicals, and while I don't know too much about photography, that sounds like they have gone through a lot of work to make these photos amazing. Grant Hamilton is shooting a documentary about Polaroid that is scheduled to be released sometime this year.

Sarah Gilbert is a freelance writer and blogger who has an excellent post about instant film's undecided future, The Impossible Project's current struggles with both it's research and it's somewhat tumultuous relationship with Polaroid. She interviewed Grant Hamilton earlier this year and noted that one of the biggest challenges to instant film is the waterproof layer on the top of each piece of film.

"Each photograph is its own darkroom...and needs this layer that goes from completely opaque to completely transparent in about a minute, once it is exposed to light." When you shake your Polaroid picture, you are jiggling one of the most complex pieces of technology around. "The idea that film is somehow low-tech is completely wrong."

Thank you to Florian Kaps, Grant Hamilton, Impossible Project Team, Sarah Gilbert and most of all to Edwin Land. Buy Polaroid film. Shoot Instant. Keep Polaroid alive. Share.

Stephanie Metz

2010-09-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

While at Penland I stopped by the Penland Gallery and included in the group show currently on exhibit, All This Happened, More or Less, is the work of Stephanie Metz. I love this work! I love how Metz takes the notion of the teddy bear and asks us to reconsider the fantasy of this creature by putting it into physical terms. This is how we preserve "real" things like human and animal bodies, so why not the teddy bear?

The "specimens" are made from densely felted wool that is shaped into the bones or cadavers of a teddy bear. In one piece she shows the fetal development of the teddy bear. Illustrating a developing fetus can be risky, yet using the imaginary teddy bear makes it less real somehow, but still walks a very delicate line. Very, very good.

I also really enjoy her presentation of the work. In fact, her decision to present the teddy bear specimen in a glass jar filled with liquid is absolutely brilliant! I laughed out loud when I saw this, and the two other ladies in the room came over and had a little giggle too. Very well made and very smart. Thank you very much Stephanie. I know I've seen this work before, but didn't keep up on it. Well, I'm going to keep an eye on what you are up to now!

Stephanie also teaches classes on her felting which you can find on her website here, and images of her teddy bear fetus growth are on her ETSY page here.

Elizabeth Brim

2010-09-05T21:07:00.001-07:00

Touring of Blacksmith shops in and around Penland would not be complete without a visit to the shop of Elizabeth Brim. Brim is not only a splendid time to chat with, she is a leader in the field, constantly contributing back by way of teaching and mentoring and a role model for all women in the field. In her work she makes lacy, frilly and soft (looking) objects from steel. How cool!

These flowers are extras from a commission where she made a full size magnolia tree in downtown Spruce Pine, not too far from her studio.

Brim was ready for us! She had all her goodies laid out, objects, tons of pictures, samples..you name it! She also had lots of stories to share with us and, of course, turned her power hammer on for us. I especially loved her power hammer because it is so much different than any of the others we saw. Thanks E.B.!!

Zack Noble

2010-09-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

At one point during my iron workshop at Penland, we pulled our noses out of the coal, got cleaned up, left the mountain and visited Zack Noble and his studio. Zack was very generous to have us all in his space and to show us around for so long. He showed us what he was experimenting with on his power hammer, some architectural drawings of a new gate he is working on and just let us wonder around his space. What a cool place! So many exciting things lying around...

Zack was awarded a core fellowship at Penland and since has been living and working at his studio in Bakersville, which is not far away at all. I am told he is best known for his innovative forging style. He has a long list of examples of his work on his very cool website, including my personal favorite, a railing he did in Telluride, Colorado.

Also on his website are a few videos that show some of his processes, my favorite is the tube squashing. I can't wait to try that out sometime!

This little sample is what Zack was working on when we invaded on him that sunny Wednesday afternoon.

Before we left, Zack was kind enough to turn on his Lobdell electro-pneumatic nazel power hammer for us. This thing is the real deal. The beauty of it is that it can work really delicately or powerfully, just depends on how much you push it. I love that this is part of the blacksmith's workshop! The big 'ol machines were made for industry back in the industrial revolution, and now they have made their way into artisan hands. Love it! Look at this old picture I found of Zack's model....Also check out the video of him turning on his hammer for us. Thanks Zack!

Blacksmithing with Marc Maiorana

2010-09-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

I just finished taking the most amazing forging workshop with Marc Maiorana. For two weeks I was removed from everything (I tried to blog...and it was NOT happening) and sweat my blistering way through my introduction to iron (steel) forging. I am so pumped to use this in my work this year, being my last year in my MFA program at UWM.

Not sure where to begin other than this was my first time to Penland and I would recommend it to anyone considering it. Excellent people. Excellent experience. Amazing energy in this place.

I went to Penland early to help volunteer for their annual auction. I saw a Hoss Haley sculpture get auctioned off for $34K. Crazy. Really have never been to anything like this in my life. It was very very interesting.

Since I was at Penland a few days early, I was especially ready to start forging, and it is a good thing. Our talented instructor, Marc Maiorana, hit the ground running. The first 3 or 4 days were packed full of demos and before I knew it I had more info than I knew what to do with.

Marc showed us the value of blacksmithing with a buddy. Using more force properly and making the job more efficient, because after all, our time is very valuable, use it wisely. Here Katie Conroy helps Marc forge out a rather large piece of stock with her sledge. She really knew how to swing that thing! (Sorry its sideways..I'm not too sure how to fix that..)

One of the most important demos Marc showed us was how to forge weld our material together. Forge welding is a process of heating the steel to almost melting temperature, using a bit of flux and a little luck and fusing the two elements together. Marc demonstrated connecting both two parts of one piece and a much more complicated weld, two separate pieces into one.

I have poked around with a gas forge before, but had never really worked with a coal forge. I liked it! I was dirty and sweaty and smelly all day every day, but people kind of expected it after a while, so I felt like I could get away with it. Had to shower every night, no matter how late I got home, but it didn't take long to get back to the same state I was in before.

Also huge to the blacksmithing community are their power hammers. The power hammers are electro-pneumatic tools that were originally created for industry as early as 1870, and apparently a lot of these machines are still kicking around. I just loved them! Sounds kinda like a train in the studio. I love that independent artists now own them and use them for one of a kind work. Marc demonstrated the Penland power hammer to us (and I LOVE big tools, so this was especially fun for me) and later when we visited Elizabeth Brim and Zack Noble, they also turned on their hammers for us. I will post more about those visits in my next post.

I have SO many more photos..if you would like to see, check out my flickr page here.

Through out the week, while we were making samples and projects, Marc told us about this project that he has been attempting for the last 4 years to get the entire class to complete a class forge weld. Lucky for him, we were a fast learning group (and maybe pretty lucky) and we pulled it off! I was a little pre-emptive on turning on the camera so the real action starts at about 1:50, but it was truly an exciting end to the very eventful week. Marc was so happy he posted it on the front page of his website.

Terra Cotta Warriors

2010-08-31T17:15:00.000-07:00

We made a special trip to Xi'an to see the Terra-Cotta Warriors just before we left Asia. The more than 8,000 warriors were discovered in 1974 when local farmers were drilling for a village well. The site is far from being completely excavated and I'm not sure if they plan on completely unearthing them all. Each figure is said to be different and is a true reflection of the skill and labor that would have been required to complete such a task.

if you look close you can see each warrior is in a different stage in the restoration process

Armor is pieces of stone that are threaded together with copper links. Simple yet effective linkage system.

This 22 foot tall Marionette Terra-Cotta Warrior participated in Olympic entertainment during the summer 2008 Beijing Olympics. Here is a short video of the warrior's performance with the little Chinese girl (who is said to represent modern China).

I am absolutely fascinated with marionettes in general, but the gigantic marionettes are somewhat of a fetish of mine. These two remind me of one of my all time favorite videos of the Sultan's Elephant by the French Mechanical Marionette Street Theatre Company, Royal Deluxe.

Treasures from the Forbidden City, Beijing, China

2010-08-31T16:21:00.000-07:00

Gunpowder containers

Signet bracelet

Love that Filigree!

(Snuff bottles)

The Emperor and Empress clad in all their jewels

The Forbidden City (which is no longer forbidden) was the Chinese Imperial Palace for Emperors for almost five hundred years. Built between 1406 to 1420 this expansive compound houses over 8,700 rooms and covers 7,800,000 square feet. This place is truly a city! There is certainly no reason the Emperor would have had to leave this place. Everything came to him and he had plenty of room for whatever he pleased. There is a lot of interested history associated with this place, but aside from the amazing architecture, my favorite part was all the imperial treasures.

Textures from China

2010-08-31T15:51:00.001-07:00

Catch up

2010-08-31T15:34:00.000-07:00

Re-post from Andrea's blog. I've been a little slow lately.... now I'm trying to play catch up.

Textures from Vietnam

2010-08-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

Ha Noi - Could you imagine trying to drive in this?

2010-08-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

Textures and Tools of the Forbidden City

2010-08-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

Locks from Vietnam Prison

2010-08-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Laos is the most bombed country in recorded history?

2010-08-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

Some hand-made prosthetics from farmers who were unlucky enough to find bombs in their fields. Images from COPE, a rehabilitation center in Laos that trades farmers professionally made prosthetics for their home made versions. Surprising that this is still a part of daily life.

Luang Prabang

2010-08-07T19:05:00.000-07:00

Another installment of photos from my journey through Asia. Some city shots from this sleepy little Laos resort town, textures I found interesting, a huge selection of baskets, handmade tools, gigantic chased (hollow) neckpieces, scorpion and snake infused whiskey and maybe the best waterfall I've even swam in. Fabulous! Miss it already.

Ernesto Neto and Jessica Calderwood

2010-08-05T09:00:00.001-07:00

Ernesto Neto, Humanoids, 2001, Lycra tulle, Styrofoam balls

Ernesto Neto, Leviathan Thot, 2006. Lycra tulle, polyamide, and Styrofoam balls, views of installation at Le Festival d'Automne, Pantheon, Paris

Ernesto Neto, While Nothing Happens, 2008. polyamide tulle, polyamide stockings, wood and spices, views of work installed at MACRO, Rome.

Ernesto Neto, Anthropodino, 2009, views of work installed at the Park Ave Armory, New York

Ernesto Neto, E O Bicho!, 2001, Lycra tulle, polyamide tubes, hooks, tumeric, black pepper, and cloves, view of installation at the Venice Biennale.

My first encounter with Brazilian artist Ernest Neto was the wearable works from his 2001 Humanoids series. As a maker who is interested in wearable works, I loved these furniture like pieces of adornment, although Nesto claims the sculpture is the wearer in this relationship and not visa versa.

Nesto's work remains on my radar because of its connection to the body, although his more recent sculptural installations are less about direct contact and more about establishing a relationship with the viewer through their senses. The stretching and drooping of his skin-like polyamide tulle and stockings are very organ and unknown-body-part-like. He has transformed into an sculptural installation artist creating contemplative environments where the viewer's senses are challenged by a variety of textures, feeling and smells. It is not uncommon for Nesto to include spices like pepper, cumin, and cloves in this soft sculptures which invade the viewers nose while interacting his his world.

I love how grand his scale is getting and can not get enough of this drooping and stretching he is pushing and perfecting. I love that every time I look him up he has installed in a larger and larger venue! In the last few years he has filled both New York's Park Avenue Armory and the Pantheon in Paris for Le Festival d'Automne. Although I know he has a full staff of seamstresses that can help him with these monster constructions but I love seeing his work develop and he is a major influence to my work.

I also see his work influencing other metalsmiths that I adore, like Jessica Calderwood who teaches at UW-Oshkosh. I first found her work when I was doing research on hairdos for my series of music-influenced wigs, however I just adore her installation decisions for her 2005 Drips series. Gotta love Drips and Droops!

Hair Curlers II, enamel, copper, sterling silver, stainless steel, 2.5" x 2.5", 2007

Drips, mixed media installation, Harrywood Gallery, Tempe, AZ, 2005.

Slow Roll down the Mekong

2010-08-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

Traveling down the Mekong River in a slowboat for two days (about 9 hours a day) was one of the highlights of my trip. Getting a chance to sit back, read in the sun and watch amazing scenery pass is what I will be thinking about when there is 2 feet of snow on the ground in Milwaukee... We saw both water buffalo and elephants on the side of the river and made a few select stops along the way.

One stop was into a local village, where at first glance the people might be considered poor compared to western standards, but if you look around you see this village has everything they need! Cows, pigs, ducks and chickens run free in the village and combined with the vegetables and rice the the villages grow in the mountains, they have everything they could need to eat. It was really nice to see what an actual chicken looks like, ya know one that hasn't been locked up inside a cage and pumped full of hormones so it can't even walk, but that is another blog post. Not only do these people have all the food they can grow, but constant access to clean air, plenty of places to play and by allowing foreigners to come into their village and snap shots, they have made enough money to run clean water directly to the village and have a satellite dish that receives WAY more channels than I do in metropolitan Milwaukee.

In these shots you can also start to see the incredible collection of baskets that you can find throughout Laos. I was really blown away by all the different weaves, shapes and uses for the baskets. I started to follow these baskets and noticed they have their own visual language. Tightly woven for structures and domiciles , more freely woven for baskets that hold fruit and materials and pure verticals or pure horizontals for fences or cages. I kinda can't believe how many different weaves I found on this trip.

This village also had a local metalsmith who was working hard to get his fire started to shape some more blades and tools. I love seeing these guys in every city. I literally met a metalsmith everywhere we went. Pretty great.

We also stopped at a temple that was built inside one of Luang Prabang's famous limestone mountains. It was really lovely. Mostly it was nice to be inside a cool mountain. Although Laos was definitely my favorite place on the whole tour, it was REMARKABLY hot everywhere we went. Their culture is also very reserved which means it is impolite for women to wear tank tops and shorts above the knee so anytime we hit a temple I had to put more one, which meant it was even hotter. I got used to it after a while but getting used to it meant just getting used to having a layer of sweat on you all the time. It also meant that no matter how hard you try, you are always drinking water! I just couldn't drink it fast enough. I'm so glad to be back to A/C.

Sky High Mural Project

2010-08-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

Mural by Neon Danger

I love seeing Milwaukee making news on my favorite worldwide blogs! This time, while perusing on My Love for you is a Stampede of Horses, Meighan interviewed Faythe Levine about her new project, The Sky High Mural Project. The Project invites local artists to create a mural which will be temporarily (looks like monthly) installed outside of Sky High skate shop in Bayview. It sure is nice to have some exposure!

Until the end of August you can see the work of Alyssa Schulte (aka neon danger), however expect to see Kimberly Weiss, Colin Matthes, and Vanessa Devaki Andrew in the future. Thank you so much Meighan! I will be keeping an eye open for these..

Thai cooking and Traveling to Chiang Khong

2010-08-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

Well we started this day off right with a traditional Thai cooking class. I love Thai food and taking this class was fun! We got to go to a local market and see the food we would be using in our recipes. We learned how to buy it in the market, what it looks like, as well as see how its sold. I'm not sure if there are any Thai markets in Chicago, but I'll try to stick to exactly how I was taught. My new favorite food/spices = galangal, lemongrass & Thai chilies...

After the cooking class we packed up into the van and headed from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong which is in north east Thailand and is a very common place to cross into Laos, which is what we did. On our way there we stopped at Wat Rong Khun, or the White Temple. The temple is well known mostly because it is white and very few temples are white, but also because it is a contemporary temple, where it only began construction in 1997.

I got the feeling that there was something very controversial about this temple because neither our tour leader or Thai guide really wanted to talk to much about it, they just wanted us to see it. Thankfully there was a catalog, so I was able to get a lot more information about it.

Ajarn Chalermchai Kositpipat is a visual artist who has decided to build this temple and make the construction of this temple his life's work. In his catalog he explains how he doesn't accept money from the government so he can keep creative control on any decision about the design of the building and the art included in it. Kositpipat is somewhat of an anomaly in Thailand in that when he was a student at Silpakorn University, he was the only student in his program who sought to make contemporary Thai art. Since most students chose to follow the path of making either traditional Thai art or go the European artistic route, Kositpipat is unique in that he is defining Contemporary Thai Art. Kositpipat's decision to make this temple his life's work to showcase Contemporary Thai Art is somewhat controversial and I'm not sure he is really being acclaimed for it yet. The Thai people seem somewhat cautious of what he is doing. He has 60 followers who are artists that have committed to make work for the temple, also claiming to give everything they can to make the temple their life's work. You gotta respect that kind of commitment to a project. I also think this is why it is so controversial, because the imagery showcased at this temple is modeled from historic Buddhist icons, but doesn't follow the exact path every other temple does...change makes people nervous.

What was most striking about the temple (and really what made me want to figure out more about it) was one of the recently finished paintings on the inside of the main structure. We weren't allowed to take photos inside, so this image comes from the catalog. Inside the rather traditional looking spirit mouth are paintings of very contemporary images. These images included the iconic image of the attack of the twin towers on 9/11, superheros like Superman, Spiderman, Neo from the matrix as well as Avatar characters, and then spaceships, aliens, luxury goods, a gas pump and many things "western." There were even details that were more hidden like a ghost images of semi-automatic weapons within the spirit's face and portraits of both Osama Bin Laden and George Bush in the spirit's eyes. Honestly, at this point I was a little nervous...what exactly is this painting trying to get across? Am I in trouble here? Thank goodness for the catalog, apparently these questions have been asked a lot, so the artist addressed them specifically. Kositpipat said of his painting:

"I want everyone to know that our world is being destroyed by those who craved to build weapons that kill, thereby ruining the environment because nothing is ever enough...Peaceful people do not want to see the murder of the Muslims and the collapse of the New York Twin Towers. I wanted to show that eyes, as important organs, should look at each other with kindness and not with hate that can lead to war. I painted, at that time, to caution both George Bush and Bin Laden so that they can look toward a peaceful and happy world. I painted Superman and Ultraman to let people know that there is really no heroes in our world. Actually people need heroes since our mortality declines every day. However, no heroes from the movie screen arrive to help the havoc of the Twin Towers...When people walk out, they will feel that they leave the demon behind that is they have rid themselves from evil spirits and going towards "lokutharadhamma" (the highest level of dhamma, where people will not be reborn)."

As part of his commitment to put everything into his project, he is actually there almost everyday. When we were there he was being filmed (not sure what for, it was all in Thai), so while we were waiting for an incredible rain storm to pass, nerdy me, I went and got his autograph.

That's him. The one in the front.

Into small town Asia

2010-08-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

Today we left Bangkok and headed to Chiang Mai, Thailand. On our continuous quest through this spiritual country we visited another temple, the Wat Prathat Doi Suithep temple, located at the top of a mountain and claimed to be one of the most famous temples in Thailand because it houses the relics of Buddha in the Golden Stupa at the top. The temple dates from 1386 and was something of a conquest because it took the people of Chiang Mai one whole day to reach the top. They had this great historic picture of one of the Ramas who traveled to the Temple and it was a HUGE deal to the local people there. P.S. - All Thais absolutely LOVE their kings.

This was also the day I decided that for the rest of this trip I will be paying attention to texture everywhere I go. The textures here are just so amazing. There is an ornate detail on everything and this is going to be one of the large components of my research here. At this beautiful temple there are these two snake-like creatures swallowing several more snake-like creatures that look just like it and function as the railing up the steps to the temple. The scales on this creature were amazing. Again ceramic mosaic bits, This time to show both the color and texture of the creature.

Tonight was also the night that I was introduced to my first night market. This was one of my favorite parts of Asia. People (who must work all day long) come out around 7:00 and set up and entire stall full of handmade good and wheel and deal their way through the night. I saw all kinds of things in these amazing night markets, but it was very exciting to see such a selection of handmade goods! I mean these people don't have access to mechanized processes, so there is nothing really produced large scale. It was wonderful. Some of my favorites were the men chasing images to be put into picture frames, pins that were little squares of fabric stuffed with cloth and embroidered with little faces and all the handmade quilts and garments. Very exciting.

I asked the gentleman who was chasing what metal he was using and it was aluminum...hmm. He must have had a very soft allow to chase on. I tried to ask about his pitch and the language barrier didn't really get it across..Too bad.

Handmade Techniques seen today:
Mosaic
Chasing
Wood Carving
Piercing

Asia and its Objects

2010-08-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

So... finding a internet connection in small town Asia was hard. Finding an internet connection that was actually strong enough to upload any kind of pictures was close to impossible, so this is why I have been absent for a while but I intend to pick right up where I left off!

Traveling through Asia was such an amazing experience! I experienced culture shock (big time), sat on warm sunny beaches, thought I was going to pass out from heat exhaustion as well as saw some of the most beautiful countrysides I've ever seen. Needless to say, there is much to talk about.

One of my main goals of this trip - aside from the fact that this was my honeymoon - was to encounter each experience as a maker and to see everything as having the possibility of informing my work. There was no shortage! I experienced makers at every turn! I actually felt like I got a lot more out of this trip than some because I understand what it takes to make things, and I can tell when I see something that has been handmade. The main tourist attractions in Asia are temples, museums, markets and communities of local people. Each of these have something in common, OBJECTS! Therefore my favorite experiences involved both the historical and contemporary objects I encountered during my trip.

Another goal for me during this trip was to try to define what "developing" actually means visually. Aside from the smog, lack of recycling programs, unusual restroom practices and incredibly low prices, my favorite discovery in each city was the still very common use of hand techniques, as well as some very interesting modified hand tools. Mechanization hasn't really hit small town Asia as we know it in the US, so I was delighted to encounter hand made objects everywhere, at times I couldn't keep track of all the techniques I recognized. It was exciting! So, starting where I left off, let's head to Wat Pho, one of the biggest temples in Bangkok.

Wat means temple, so everywhere we went in Thailand, we went to some Wats. They all started to look the same from the outside, but the insides all had their own handmade components.

Carving is hand technique I saw everywhere. Whether it was in wood or stone, I saw carving as a method to exaggerate ornamentation (therefore status) on objects and architecture. Most of the carved pieces I saw in Thailand date from long ago, but while I was in Bali I saw men carving wooden doors on the side of the road, so I know it still happens.

detail of that sweet belt buckle

These are royal stupas, or chedis as they are called in Thailand, which are burial markers that hold the relics. It would have been a great honor to be buried in a temple - to be closer to Buddha - and the right to be buried in this temple was reserved for royalty.

Each one of these stupas is decorated with thousands of tiny mosaic ceramic bits. Some of them are huge and can be seen from across town!

Okay, lets talk Buddhas. They are everywhere! Golden Buddhas can be found at most temples in Thailand, and for the most part they are cast bronze that are then gold leafed. I did encounter a few Buddhas whose leaving was flaking off, probably because of the heat and humidity. I wonder whose job it is to re-gold-leaf? It looks like they have gotten pretty good at it.

This colossal Buddha figure is called the Reclining Buddha and it was gigantic! I couldn't imagine having to gold leaf this bad boy.

The feet (as well as the eyes) of the Reclining Buddha are inlaid. The imagery on the feet are inlaid with mother of pearl showing the 108 lakshanas, or marks and signs on the body as well as the gestures of a true Buddha.

Wat Pho is also the location of the first university in Bangkok and now houses the center for traditional Thai massage. I got the best massage I received in Thailand here. Thai massage is different than a sweedish massage in that they use mostly pressure and you are fully clothed when receiving the massage. I got the one hour with herbs which involved no oils at all, but halfway through my lady started pressing a boiling hot sack of herbs into my skin. It was awesome.

I loved these anatomy charts that I encountered on the way out. Considering this has been a center for understanding the body for a long time, it makes sense they are here. Whatever was written on those markers in different sections of the body has long since disappeared though.

We took this wonderful boat tour down the canal and I loved it mostly because there were 6 and 8 foot water monitors swimming around looking for dead things floating (we saw a few fine examples) but also because it was a nice example of a different way that people live in Asia. One of the ladies on our tour asked about the poor people that live here, to which our guide replied that the people who live here are actually considered very rich because they own these homes and that is considered very well off. Pretty cool way to look at it I think.

Bangkok

2010-07-04T22:39:00.001-07:00

(random 4 ft monitor next to the canal!!!)

(Okay, so most Buddhas in Thailand are guilded, but they claim that this Buddha, the golden buddha, is solid gold! That's 12,000 lb of Gold! Although I'm not sure at this point whether I believe it or not...)

Bangkok has been a bit of a roller coaster. Amazing images, incredibly historical, rich culture, and somewhat predatory of tourists. Every thing you could think of to spend your money on offer you amazing deals, almost too good. Then when you decide to transact you have to make sure you get everything that was promised! I spent my first day just expecting that I would get everything I was promised, which did not happen! Being very firm has helped. Aside from getting ripped off a couple of times, I've seen some pretty incredible stuff....

Tuk Tuks, which are the three-wheeled, moped like scooters putting around Bangkok are really cute and they aren't something we see in the U.S., so of course most Westerners want to take them, however they have their own agenda. Fashion houses that custom tailor clothing, jewelry and gem distributors as well as some restaurants give the Tuk Tuk drivers comissions if they bring tourists to their shop, even if we don't buy anything. This means that getting to where YOU actually want to go in a tuk tuk is damn near impossible. Dave and I found this out the hard way on our first day. Even tricker the taxi drivers speak little to no english, while the tuk tuk drivers speak perfect english. ARG! Some have even partnered with very well spoken Thais who claim to all be trusted professionals (we've been offered directions by teachers, lawyers and doctors! Who knew there were so many just floating around Bangkok streets!) Its literally impossible to pull out a map on the street without the tuk-tuk drivers and their accomplises running over and trying to help. And they lie their faces off! No matter where you are, they will point you in the direction of one of these three main places. We literally had someone draw on a map these two places on a map in the direction of a temple we wanted to see, but when we looked on a map afterwards they were nowhere near where they had written it! Solution?...just take taxis..It takes a few tries to find one that knows where you are going with some simple english and map pointing, but eventually you'll find one and they are so incredibly cheap its worth it.

Whew! Okay. well, aside from that I have had a VERY good first few days. Our first excersion day we ended up in the production district, which I think was one of my favorite things I've seen yet. Its near one of the first temples built in the old city of Bangkok, so it makes sense that this is where a lot of production took place. Store after store filled with wood to be cut to order, different types of and sizes of metal, and of course my favorite.....the TOOOLS!! ooh la la...

I think these Thais must think I'm crazy since I don't want to just go shop and buy jewelry, but I just loved this district. Another street I sought that ended up being quite sketcky and I'm glad we were there during the day is the Soi Ban Baat alleyway. A baat is one of the few possessions that a Thai buddist monk can own. It is a bowl in monks are allowed to beg for food with. Early in the morning it is common to see the monks walking around and showing the bowls, which are quickly filled with food. The bowl is constructed of 8 bands of metal, which represent the 8 fold path of Buddhism.

The craziest part is that these bowl are steel, not copper! So they are somehow raising steel. I think it might be stainless, which is even crazier. Per his images the only time they put into the fire is when they oxidize the outside and cover with laquer, so I guess its just a lot of strong arm work...This guy was a hoot. He pulled out a photo album of him with what he said were current Thai movie stars, calls himself a bit of a celebrity. He was so nice. I tried to show him my tattoo so he would know I was a maker too, it took a few tries but once he saw it, he flipped. He grabbed my by the wrist and dragged me around and showed me off to the other makers..it was pretty cool to catch up with Bangkok metalsmiths...and just in case you are wondering...they are doing well. :)

So later today Dave and I are latching onto a 2 week group tour, and I'm actually kind of excited about it. Its been kinda tough on our own in Bangkok, figuring out the scams and wondering around the (rather gross) under belly of Bangkok. We have one more night in Bangkok, then catching a night train to Laos, over to Vietnam and then up to China....I'm not sure when I'll have internet access next, so we will see...

Images from the "real" Bali

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The very first taksi cab driver we had (who claimed to LOVE Americans) said the REAL Bali is not on the beaches but in the city of Ubud (pronounced oo-boo-D). After being here for two days, I have to agree.

Aside from being probably the happiest, most smiley people I've ever seen, the Balinese people are very spiritual and present offerings several times a day. This usually consists of a small basket made of coconut leaves with a mixture of flowers, fruits, actively burning incense and occasionally some candy in them. I have seen alters that the offerings are placed in front of, but they are also placed outside in many places - on the steps, in their cars, pretty much everywhere, and chances are, you will probably step on one. This is what makes this place smell so completely incredible! Between the fresh flowers growing everywhere, incense burning (which I actually didn't think I liked that much, but I'm opening up to it here), fresh fruit growing, and being put outside 3 - 4 times a day in offerings, this places smells very fragrant and sweet. It is truly mezmorizing.

Their rich culture includes a variety of dances that consist of several ornately dressed actors performing a story of their beliefs. This often includes women dancing, puppets, and occasionally a group of 50 men chanting. I am really blown away at the detail in every movement, like the specific placement of their fingers or their eye movements. But I think what I will always refer to most is the rich detail in everything here. Garments (used for their dances, not what they actually wear or sell) have incredibly detail, paintings, even all their doorways (even for bathrooms!) are all hand-carved. I was in the taksi on the way to Ubud and passed through an area where craftsman were actually carving on the side of the road. It looked kinda like getting a traditional Japanese tattoo, with a long stick and a mallet.

Definitely my favorite things in Bali were the little details that mean so much. Also - they all LOVE tattoos. I don't think they have ever seen tattoos with as much color as mine, so every time Dave and I walk, we hear "Oh yeah. Nice tAttOO! Nice color!" But the highlight of my day yesterday was when a group of older Japanese tourists asked to take their picture with me. I'm assuming it is because of their tattoos, but their was really only smiling and nodding happening, so I can't say for sure.