06•24•2012
Posted by Debbie
Mammoth Sculpture goes Up At Vancouver Drawdown Visit us at the Vancouver Drawdown and join the conversation!
JUNE 20, 2015
10am – 2pm
Mount Pleasant Community Centre | 1 Kingsway
FREE | No registration required
Posted by Debbie
Mammoth Sculpture goes Up At Vancouver Drawdown Visit us at the Vancouver Drawdown and join the conversation!
JUNE 20, 2015
10am – 2pm
Mount Pleasant Community Centre | 1 Kingsway
FREE | No registration required
06•24•2012
Posted by Carlyn
Co-collaborator Debbie Tuepah and I took part in Vancouver’s second annual Mini Maker Faire June 23-24, a convergence of maker-geeks at the Forum building in Hastings Park in East Van. From weaving to robotics, this part market, part installation, part classroom celebrates what you know or can learn over what you have or can buy.
This was the perfect spot to install our chaotic, collaborative, ongoing public artwork that is simple enough for anyone to add to it. For two days, people tied/braided/knotted/wove/wound strips of synthetic fabrics to the web/maze/forest/snarl, and in the process got the opportunity to connect with others who are naturally drawn to working with their hands.
This was the perfect spot to install our chaotic, collaborative, ongoing public artwork that is simple enough for anyone to add to it. For two days, people tied/braided/knotted/wove/wound strips of synthetic fabrics to the web/maze/forest/snarl, and in the process got the opportunity to connect with others who are naturally drawn to working with their hands.
Little boys escaped into imaginary worlds under the sculpture. Bigger girls braided and chatted in groups of twos and threes. We thought we would be spending the two days coaxing visitors to participate by explaining the purpose and function of this random, ongoing fibre sculpture, but it clearly wasn’t necessary. Making is quite enough for anyone drawn to an event like this.
12•07•2011
Posted by Carlyn
Diana Seehagen (right) shares a bonding moment with friends.
Glogg + friends = a whole lot of networking cheer!
A call-out to friends, art school chums, family members of all ages and fellow artists to join a Scandinavian-flavoured social networking night resulted in bringing the hanging sculpture to a whole new level.
Although there seems to be an inverse relationship between amount of glogg consumed and knotting accomplished. Debbie's contribution of black tulle-like fabric added an oh-so-sexy element. Or maybe that was just the booze talking.
A call-out to friends, art school chums, family members of all ages and fellow artists to join a Scandinavian-flavoured social networking night resulted in bringing the hanging sculpture to a whole new level.
Although there seems to be an inverse relationship between amount of glogg consumed and knotting accomplished. Debbie's contribution of black tulle-like fabric added an oh-so-sexy element. Or maybe that was just the booze talking.
12•07•2011
Posted by Debbie
Emma and Sara bring some youthful insight to the discussion, and show us some pretty creative knot-tying, "It's just like a bracelet."
11•21•2011
Posted by Carlyn
Necessity being the mother of invention, voila!: iur visual appeal for synthetic fabric/plastic materials.
The sculpture has already consumed whatever we had on hand, so we're pleading/appealing/whining for donations of clean material to weave into the sculpture. To anyone with a lead on where we can find a sizeable quantity of petroleum-based material (scratchy drapes, banner scraps etc.) please contact us.
Thanks to Katie Nielsen for taking time out to 'tie one on' last week. Even though she's been trying in vain to get me on that Other Social Network since 2005.
The sculpture has already consumed whatever we had on hand, so we're pleading/appealing/whining for donations of clean material to weave into the sculpture. To anyone with a lead on where we can find a sizeable quantity of petroleum-based material (scratchy drapes, banner scraps etc.) please contact us.
Thanks to Katie Nielsen for taking time out to 'tie one on' last week. Even though she's been trying in vain to get me on that Other Social Network since 2005.
11•07•2011
Posted by Carlyn
Now we're cooking.
We devoted our first official First Saturday Open Studios day last weekend to opening up this Social Network to whoever heeded the call to come by and 'tie one on.'
Learning outcomes:
• We need more chairs.
• Even the one rule — build with square knots - will be broken, as those 'online' began weaving, braiding and twisting the work into new frontiers.
• People who've never tied a craft knot in their life will innovate and blow you away with double-helixes and balloon 'balls.'
It was a happy chaos, with moments of order. Kind of like the studio itself.
(Rose Burden photo)
We devoted our first official First Saturday Open Studios day last weekend to opening up this Social Network to whoever heeded the call to come by and 'tie one on.'
Learning outcomes:
• We need more chairs.
• Even the one rule — build with square knots - will be broken, as those 'online' began weaving, braiding and twisting the work into new frontiers.
• People who've never tied a craft knot in their life will innovate and blow you away with double-helixes and balloon 'balls.'
It was a happy chaos, with moments of order. Kind of like the studio itself.
(Rose Burden photo)
11•02•2011
Posted by Debbie
Like any network the 'thing' is now moving in, out, across, up and down, as are the conversations. Much cheaper than therapy, and a lot more fun.
Considering that this project emerged from some serious discussions about big picture issues (think Occupy New York) that we are not fully equipped to address, it is funny how this process seems to be operating a bit like a Think Tank. Issues big and small are being tabled and true to form, I'm wondering when someone is going to bring food.
Considering that this project emerged from some serious discussions about big picture issues (think Occupy New York) that we are not fully equipped to address, it is funny how this process seems to be operating a bit like a Think Tank. Issues big and small are being tabled and true to form, I'm wondering when someone is going to bring food.
11•01•2011
Posted by Carlyn
Fellow visual artist Jenn Skillen (aka Nurse Skillen) is the official first contributor/user of the Social Network. She got online this afternoon after mastering the square knot skill in approximately 10 seconds, employing her spontaneous version of The Macarena to put the knot into muscle memory ("Aaaaaay, Macrame-a!").
I am finding it hard to shake the old macrame-plant-hanger hangover. I have the unconscious need to create pattern, match all the lengths, think in rows. I realize this as Jenn creates a minor chaos of knots and 'saggy breasts' on her side.
We discuss the meaning of entropy and she says something stunningly profound: When you're lost in the woods, stay where you are until you're found.
Wise words for emerging artists who are daily tormented by the thought that we should pack it all in and move on.
I am finding it hard to shake the old macrame-plant-hanger hangover. I have the unconscious need to create pattern, match all the lengths, think in rows. I realize this as Jenn creates a minor chaos of knots and 'saggy breasts' on her side.
We discuss the meaning of entropy and she says something stunningly profound: When you're lost in the woods, stay where you are until you're found.
Wise words for emerging artists who are daily tormented by the thought that we should pack it all in and move on.
10•31•2011
Posted by Carlyn
Our artist friend Rose gets us started with the gift of a large roll of silver plastic yardage to Debbie sometime back.
I search the recesses of my brain for the basic technique for those hideous jute plant hangers I made my mom for Christmas back in Grade 8 (knowing that moms will accept all kinds of crap from kids if they're homemade). Something about needing groups of strands of four for tying on square knots and a total number of strands that are divisible by four. We do some quick calculations and decide to roll out 16 lengths the diagonal span of the studio, bunching the wad in the middle to create 32 strands, or eight bunches of four strands.
Even though we've somehow ended up missing two lengths of the silver plastic, we notice we're working on nine bunches of square knots.
Rules are for chumps.
I search the recesses of my brain for the basic technique for those hideous jute plant hangers I made my mom for Christmas back in Grade 8 (knowing that moms will accept all kinds of crap from kids if they're homemade). Something about needing groups of strands of four for tying on square knots and a total number of strands that are divisible by four. We do some quick calculations and decide to roll out 16 lengths the diagonal span of the studio, bunching the wad in the middle to create 32 strands, or eight bunches of four strands.
Even though we've somehow ended up missing two lengths of the silver plastic, we notice we're working on nine bunches of square knots.
Rules are for chumps.