PROJECT #3: THE WALL OF FORTUNE

A wall/blanket/expanse of folded paper fortune tellers in the same color. I used to repeatedly produce the small, simple toy in my youth, anywhere I could find the paper to do so. I would make them in all shapes and sizes…I think there is something ironic about “the wall” (THE WALL) as an object…maybe not IRONIC but something to be noted about modern society, is the way that we take words and misconstrue the definition through bouts of sinister internet comedy and meme generating. We have basically, essentially, repurposed the english dictionary. This relates to ECSTATIC RESISTANCE, a piece by Emily Roydson which speaks about the blurring of the lines between different art styles and genres.

What kind of connotation does the wall have? It is meant to blockade, supposed to separate…think of how Trump uses the wall and what it means now.

The wall represents movement, acceleration, progression in the face of oppression, resistance, stagnation. How? Because of it’s ambiguous nature, the wall-of-fortune is able to traverse many different universes. It exists in itself a 3D object composed of many small 2D objects, and also seems to move, bounce, and sway on its own accord. Let’s make 20 billion of them and shield the polar ice caps or some miraculous feat that would cause global satisfaction replete.

I love my wall <3 I feel like hanging it over my bed catch bad dreams and rid my room of any looming bad spirits. 

PROJECT #4: SHROOM FORCE 1

I really initially just wanted to create a sneaker from that mycellium kit; either a carved out version or an exact replica by way of vacuum former. But alas, time and money restrictions didn’t enable it, and I was left to interpret a moldy sneaker by impressing legit chunks of the mushroom mulch onto my beloved G FAZOS (slang for Nike Air Force 1 Shoe). This isn’t without, of course, first ensuring the tactility of my beloved beaters with cling wrap. The resulting piece is one my friend Erin refers to as a clog, which I quite like, because it transforms my beat up, off-white, dog-shit-ridden sneaker into something of a suburban mom or super eurocentric, foreign to me, something I don’t know.

The most “outside” pieces are the small, colorful geode-like forms hanging from the ceiling and displayed on the pedestals. They are created by Sandra Sheely completely out of found materials, such as thread, beads, sequins, shells and fabric amongst other things. These bursts of different visual aspects are described on the gallery’s website as “amuletic sculptures” that “come from an inexplicable urge to find cathartic release through physical manifestation.” Perfectly summed up in those few words, Sheely’s work seems to be produced for her own personal pleasure. Since the pieces are also made of found or recycled items, considered by some to be unconventional, her works are definitely the most “outside” of the entire show.

The least “outside” piece os a ghostly black and white painting on the right wall of the gallery. It seems like something seen before, in an art gallery or the result of a 2D Studio Assignment (no offense to the artist.) It just doesn’t seem as “outside” as the other pieces, and almost seems like it shouldn’t be in this gallery show. Each of the other pieces seem to be freeform expressions and this one seems to be the most taught.

Some of the artists in the show regard their work as expression, not on their own account, but as a release in which they must indulge. One even goes so far as to say that she is a channel through which spirits pass and communicate, instructing her to completely these pieces by way of specifically dictating which color inks to use and what shapes to draw. Ferdinand Cheval has a similar background; one day, he tripped on a rock, and when he looked at it he realized it was beautiful. He found this to be true of all rocks, stating that “it represents any kind of animal, it represents any kind of caricature.” He then dedicated the rest of his life to building the ideal palace, a place where any person of any background could reside. It’s almost like someone or something—some higher being—was compelling him to build this palace, like he was a passage or channel for said higher being. He was one of the first people to go public with his obsession, even going so far as to create a shrine to his wheelbarrow in the basement of the palace and a tomb where he could be buried once he passed (because his town told him he couldn’t be buried in his palace.)

I truly enjoyed the pieces that seemed to be someone squatting, masturbating, etc. as well as the recycled geodes. There was this one form that was composed of all black found objects and had silver bead-like forms on top of it that I found myself especially fond of, because black is definitely one of my favorite colors. It also seemed to be the only geode that was made mostly of one solid color, rather than a bunch of different fabrics and patterns etc.