Textiles and Natural Dyes

Project #4

Artist Statement

This installation was inspired by my interest in the relationship between interior and exterior space. I've always been interested in the body's relationship with sculptural objects, whether or not the body has to move in order to fully view the piece, or even if the body can be inside of the art object. With this piece, I was also thinking about gender, perceptions of gender, and what aspects of ourselves we allow the world to see. I chose to dye large-scale cuts of fabric in one indigo bath to achieve a close range of color on both pieces, knowing they would be used for the "walls", which represent the masculine representation that I desire for the world to perceive of me. Throughout my time experimenting with different dyes, I collected a variety of strips and came to realize that if combined together, they could serve as a representation of the interior space that would sit behind or within the exterior. I chose to hang both the indigo-dyed walls and the mixture of dyed pieces because I wanted the viewer to be able to spatially relate their body to a representation of how I understand myself.

Research

• Artist: Fransje Gimbrere

Source: https://fransjegimbrere.com/projects/StandingTextiles/StandingTextiles.html

• In process photos of experimenting with dyes

Final Images

Textiles and Natural Dyes

Project #3

Artist Statement

This installation was based on the experience of transitioning, which is something that trans individuals go through in order to feel more aligned with who they are. However, it also plays with ideas of religion, rebirth, ascendance, movement, building, and action. This is where the hands tie in to the installation as a central component. I was thinking about all of the creations and actions that hands are capable of and how much we use them for, and I was thinking about the limitations of the body. I wanted to visually communicate a sense of movement not only through color but through the installation space as well, so I decided to have the hands move from the ground up in a reflection of how trans individuals often feel that they are on the other side of what they want before they begin their transition. Ultimately, though, we arrive where we are supposed to be, and the solidified blue hands at the top represent that, as does the hole with red thread descending down, symbolizing that what we are left with is a human experience of flesh and blood.

Research

• Artist: Amanda McCavour

Source: http://amandamccavour.com/

• Artist: Mac McCusker

Source: https://www.macmccuskerceramics.com/transition-series.html

• In process photos of experimenting with dyes

Final Images

Textiles and Natural Dyes

Project #2

Artist Statement

This project was inspired by my first clothing piece, which was centered around the male to female transgender experience, but this one communicates more about the female to male transgender experience. I was interested in creating this shirt as a continuation piece of the initial project because I kept thinking about how our society functions around store-bought, pre-made clothing that is suited for generalized bodies. However, people who don't easily fall within the binary or who have to undergo a medical transition in order to feel connected with the body they inhabit often encounter difficulty with their clothing choices. I chose to spend time dyeing cotton with natural indigo baths to get a nice blue tonality with subtle variations, as the color choices are also very significant in terms of gender representation. After cutting everything to fit the pillow as I did for my initial piece, I used a sewing machine for the sleeves and collar and hand stitched the strip of fabric that would usually hold the buttons onto the shirt. I chose to leave seams showing, threaded ends frayed, and the shirt to exist without buttons, which indicates that there is no way to get in or out of the shirt. This all connects to my personal experience and observations of being trans.

Research

• In process photos of experimenting with indigo

 Final Images

Textiles and Natural Dyes

Project #1

Artist Statement

This sculpture was centered around ideas involving the male to female transgender experience. I was inspired by a musician named Laura Jane Grace, who is the lead singer of the punk rock band named Against Me!. She also went through her gender transition publicly in an attempt to help others experiencing the same feelings. As most of my ideas revolve around gender, I spent time thinking of how the medium of fabric and textiles might relate to the concept of gender. Clothing is something that most people choose based on their desires for stylistic choices and self expression, which of course, still holds for people who are trans. However, a very common reality is that trans people also choose their clothing very carefully in order to outwardly express their gender identity, to alleviate their gender dysphoria, and often in order to pass as they wish to be seen in public spaces. I was thinking about how clothing is made to fit bodies through generalizing body types and perpetuating stereotypes without regard for people who fall in between or outside of the "simple" binary conception of gender and the bodies that are supposed to fit in boxes. I chose to comment on the intimacy of the individual body by using pillows, which are supposed to provide respite, as the body and support for the dress that made to exist on. I used a naturally created turmeric dye for the yellow pigment, and after cutting out each piece, I used a sewing machine for the seams and hand-stitched the straps on. As was intended, the garment does not fit quite right on the pillow and looks a bit unnatural. This all ties into commentary on what a trans person might experience as the work through their disconnect with their body or with how the world perceives it.

Research

• Against Me!'s song "Transgender Dysphoria Blues"

         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_5JQLUyuJ0

• In-process photos of dye experiments

Final Images

ART 225 Project 4

Performing with Principles, Living Design

Performance 1

In this performance, I chose to unify the cluttered areas that keep my art supplies hidden throughout my apartment by utilizing them for everyday actions.

https://youtu.be/QgQBiD34I_k

Performance 2

During this performance, I am demonstrating a crucial part of my daily routine and the waste that comes from it, which mimics the monetary trail I leave behind in my own life as well.

I do so by creating a rhythmic sound through repetition.

https://youtu.be/OmbBKXmx1Ko

Performance 3

In my final performance, I am working with the principle of emphasis by directing all of the visual focus onto the repeated action of putting on and buttoning up a specific type of shirt. This aspect of emphasis ties into the last clip, which attempts to represent the emotional component of dressing oneself a certain way.

https://youtu.be/9uvjU8ytXpE

3D to 2D Image

My 3D to 2D conversion project is focused on repetition, scale, and balance. I chose to have my actual crystal collection present in this piece to simultaneously create a sense of duality and oneness between the blank crystals that are inside of the images of the sculpture and the vibrancy of the crystals I modeled them after. Every crystal in the photo is placed in a certain position according to its metaphysical properties and meanings. This piece draws upon my childhood while also reaching into my present.

Masking Tape Shoes

"Hug and Move On"

Artist Statement:

The pair of shoes I chose to replicate are the last pair of non-vegan shoes I intend to own and mark my point in transitioning to a more complete, personal sense of veganism. Every step matters. These shoes fit me so well that they always felt like they were hugging my feet, and I became so comfortable with them that I would wear them for months at a time. However, I have now come to the point of needing to retire the shoes and move forward.

Materials: Masking tape

Dimensions: approx. 4.69" x 7.25" x 10.25"

In Process Photos:

Paper Mock-up

Beginning with the tape

 

 

Final Project Photos:

Balsa Wood Small Sculpture

"Duality"

"With abstract art, it's not really about what just happens. With abstract art, we take inspiration from something that is already a thing, and we rearrange the pieces." (Advice from my professor)

Artist Statement:

I will admit that I was quite lost when beginning this project. I felt unfamiliar with the materials and uninterested in the more abstract side of expression, and I found that the only way to change that was to quiet my mind and force myself to blindly experiment. After having just finished my masking tape shoes before beginning this project, I recalled enjoying working with the tape because there were so many possibilities that I encountered. So, I began cutting and rolling strips of tape at different lengths on the tables in the art studio. The tables are old and have been touched by so many students and materials that my tape ultimately picked up small bits of leftover materials and loose wood finish. Instead of feeling disappointed that the tape was no longer clean, I liked the way that the remnants added character to the little rolled tubes. I had initially attached them together to look like a rectangle but decided to cut the ends at an angle to create a curling wave appearance. This was when I realized that I had come full circle from mindless experimentation to the concept I was subconsciously thinking about: manipulation of the natural world.

I was inspired by memories of my mom and I visiting the Atlanta Botanical Gardens over the summer before fall semester. I remembered seeing these large red disks suspended in the air amongst the trees as we drove in, and I was in awe. Walking through the gardens gave me the opportunity to closely and personally observe the various ways that nature can be altered and manipulated to create something beautiful, ugly, or just different. I cut and sanded some circles of balsa wood to mimic those disks and used them to support a contrived ocean wave. I wanted it to appear as though the wave was on display for viewers to look at just as they would view different specimens in a museum. Although symmetry, texture, and rhythm all ended up playing a part in this piece, the primary focus was repetition. I wanted to bring the situation into focus with this piece and show through the use of repetition with the rolled tubes of tape that we consistently make decisions that impact the planet we live on, whether those decisions better or worsen the condition. This was my attempt to visually talk about how we, as humans, have a larger impact on the environment than we generally realize. From what we eat to our decisions on what to throw into the trash or recycle, we are constantly altering the world even though it's not always a visible change. I was also thinking about how much people feel drawn to the ocean and beaches, and I tried to take what people think is beautiful and symbolize through the tape that below the surface of the waves the situation can be quite dismal.

Materials: balsa wood, masking tape, wood glue, straight pins

Dimensions: 4.25" x 8" x 3.88"

In Process Photo:

gathering pieces I made to continue experimenting

Final Project Photos:

(Photos of second sculpture waived)