Monday, September 27, 2010

Day Forty-Nine: Soldier On


Alright, I know I said I would blog about the work that I've been doing for the past few weeks... the reason why I haven't been blogging much recently. So, here's a sneak-peek at my masterpiece. The theme of our show, the Story of Stuff, is to take regular everyday objects, garbage, and anything we can get our hands on, and think about the 'lifespan' of that object. There are so many things in our culture that gets produced simply to be used once and thrown away. I did one piece using restaurant bills from work to create the image of a bird, and two thrown-away paper towel dispensers to make 'conversation starters'. The concept behind this piece, entitled "7,654 tickets to ride", is based on the Port Dalhousie carousel. I've used old pieces of paper, stick-it notes, aluminum foil, sticky-back plastic, newspaper and magazines to create a kind of mosaic. The idea is that all of these paper types are produced largely for one purpose and then quickly discarded. I thought it would be interesting to create a piece that evoked a classic memory, a timeless moment of all the childhood wonder that I've associated with the Port Dalhousie carousel. And the carousel itself, in my mind, is timeless. It still costs mere pennies for a ride, it still plays the same music, and it still brings the same joy to children and adults alike.

The idea here is to create paper chains by folding 2.5X7.5cm rectangles of paper (which I had to cut to the exact size) and fold them in such a way that a zig-zag pattern begins to form. There are about 7,654 pieces of paper... give or take. Once combined, I can create an image using a pattern similar to the idea of a cross-stitch pattern. A lot of work... I think I've put in over 100 hours on it already... It's about 2/3 done. Then all that's left is to sew each strand together and send it off to Canada.


Jos and Anne have been so helpful to me, giving me all the materials I need and providing me with my own space and putting up with the mess that's invaded their dining room table for a few weeks now... but hopefully I'll be done soon...



I also have a few adventures under my belt that I'll blog about, but right now I have to get back to work.

2 comments:

  1. Cool Tara! My mom showed me how to do that before, except i used juicy fruit/ big red gum wrappers. It was also shown in that movie with Sandra Bullock.. 28 days.

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