 | Last week I re-discovered an old gem that's been sitting around in my studio for the last six months or so: an old Gentleman's Box. My husband and I salvaged the box from his father's farm, just before the barns were torn down and the land was developed for a new housing estate. So I guess in a way we didn't just salvage the box, we saved it. |
Anyway, I was in my studio the other day, tidying things up and trying to make more space for all of the lovely "treasures" I've been collecting, when I pulled out this old chest; I opened the lid to remind myself of it contents and the lid suddenly fell off into my hands. It was only then that I realized what a fantastic shell for assemblage art I held in my possession.
I immediately started to work, leaning it out (just a little - not too much!) and layed out the tools it once held inside and pulled out some of my "treasures" and started playing around with some ideas for composition. Amongst my treasures are these wooden blocks with letters on them; I put a bunch in my hand, shook them up and rolled them onto the floor to see what sort of ideas it might spark (or what fortunes they had to tell! Like reading leaves in a cup of tea) and suddenly the phrase "find me" sprang to mind. I thought about this a bit and decided "come find me" was more interesting - it had more of the feeling of a story to it. Before I had anything else in place, I knew the title. And I'm allowing the composition to form from there; I see it as a page in a story - something ambiguous that one can add to for themselves. Kind of like the shell of a ruined, abandoned building which allows you to fantasize about its original purpose and those who used to occupy it.
I'm not entirely sure, but I think I want to add lights to it. Having recently looked at the work of David Lynch I can tell you without shame that he very much inspired me and my incorporation of lights would serve as an homage to an artist that I respect and admire. But we will see - afterall, I don't want it to be a rip-off of someone else's work and I also don't want to lose its integrity by adding a (forgive the pun) flashy element. But then again, maybe a piece like this should embrace a certain gaudiness - like Blackpool or Coney Island.
I immediately started to work, leaning it out (just a little - not too much!) and layed out the tools it once held inside and pulled out some of my "treasures" and started playing around with some ideas for composition. Amongst my treasures are these wooden blocks with letters on them; I put a bunch in my hand, shook them up and rolled them onto the floor to see what sort of ideas it might spark (or what fortunes they had to tell! Like reading leaves in a cup of tea) and suddenly the phrase "find me" sprang to mind. I thought about this a bit and decided "come find me" was more interesting - it had more of the feeling of a story to it. Before I had anything else in place, I knew the title. And I'm allowing the composition to form from there; I see it as a page in a story - something ambiguous that one can add to for themselves. Kind of like the shell of a ruined, abandoned building which allows you to fantasize about its original purpose and those who used to occupy it.
I'm not entirely sure, but I think I want to add lights to it. Having recently looked at the work of David Lynch I can tell you without shame that he very much inspired me and my incorporation of lights would serve as an homage to an artist that I respect and admire. But we will see - afterall, I don't want it to be a rip-off of someone else's work and I also don't want to lose its integrity by adding a (forgive the pun) flashy element. But then again, maybe a piece like this should embrace a certain gaudiness - like Blackpool or Coney Island.
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