Who am I?

Not always the question I ask myself every morning, or even when people ask my name, but then, sometimes I surprise myself and I'm not quite sure I remember who I am. Or is it simply that I'm so different from who I was six months ago, a year ago and definitely two years ago that sometimes I can loose track, of myself.

I'm posting this photo, from the trip that essentially propelled me to make major changes in my, then, life. In this photo I got to wear a dress with styling from the 1850's that had Velcro up the back so that any one fortunate to see the fashion exhibit in an old church in Amsterdam could potentially fit into. This brings a perpetual question of mine, of recent, now that I've divorced myself from the fashion world I'm able to look at clothing for what it is (and not for what will be the next best seller in a store.) Clothing, cloth, covering makes us whomever we want to be. Sometimes the cover up is for the best, sometimes, depending on what I wear I can feel more like "me" or less like "me." The question of constant contemplation, of days recent.

I've surprised myself.
I'm still muddling through weather it's for good or not. And to think of the clothing I was wearing when I surprised myself. Was I wearing any at all, or was it just a dream? Today I don't feel like myself, It's cold and damp, it's raining, and I have millions of things to do, and so far little has been done, or tons, depending on one's point of view. But since we're talking about me, than I guess, not much as been done. Ah, but the day is but am embryo, so I must not make anymore haste and be off and start the day, no matter who I am, but just to remember that I'll become more me at the end of the day if I'm allowed to wear what I want and feel comfortable in it.

SeaFlect

Soon after we can see we are aware that we can also be seen. -John Berger

Initial sketches for "SeaFlect" a performance stool for Alexis Parsons, an improvisational jazz performer. It is to include delicately placed mirrors, facing inwards and some outwards as a representation on how much of Alexis gives in each performance. What she gives to the audience as well as what she keeps for herself will be symbolically designed into this stool, a work in progress. Some sketch models have been made in between the below pencil drawings and the college of marker loose drawings that is at the bottom of this post.

As the weeks progress I will be posting development, decisions, reactions and hopefully receiving comments from viewers.

Detaching, with Love

Thank you to all who came out to support me in my endeavor to detach from some of my beloved pieces. This was such an amazing experience. All of the feed-back from my work was amazing. I cannot say thank you enough to everyone who helped me:

• Caroline from Jan & Aya who so graciously curated my work into the beautiful presentation at her store. http://janandaya.blogspot.com/

• Patti and Joan for their initial support when the show was just a thought.

• John Hartmenn of Freecell for his initial inspiration from his show many years ago; How to make a Thousand. http://www.frcll.com/

• My cousin, Katherine Thompson, who is an amazing and successful artist herself, and thank you for taking photos of my show!

• Jordan Winnick who helped me make a website for my work in time for my show. http://jordanwinick.com/
• http://www.scullynewyork.com

• To David Gibbs who helped me with the last minute additions to the show http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/06/david_gibbs_wat.php

• To all of my friends that came and supported: Lys, Meridith, Beth, Christina, Heidi, Rob, Sam,Theresa, Emily, who I had not seen in 10 years!,and The Madan, Joel Wennerstrom (Even my drawing professor came!) and Terrin, hopefully reporting back to everyone at good 'ol AT! Christopher, Molly, and Rich McCullah, the amazing furniture designer: http://www.mccullahdesigns.com/

• To all my friends and family, I know that you were rooting for me too, so thank you as well!
  

Pieces become Whole

Blue Bag Project Part II

IMG_0685.JPG
Originally uploaded by alisonboring

Thank you to Alison Walsh took this splendid photo of my work at night. How attentive to the details of the skyline.
Thank you, look for more soon, you have inspired me to continue...

"I'm going to float like a butterfly sting like a bee"

The famous quote, by The Greatest of All Time, Muhammad Ali.
He was the greatest, and I look to his teachings and try to remember that I would like myself to seem as graceful as a butterfly and behold the power of a single bee to deal with life's shortcomings and minor set backs.

All of this from a simple project of making a rural mailbox for a famous person of our choice. The "rural" mailbox, although I grew up in the country, I forgot what one looked like, and wondered, does anyone use one anymore at all? It is so easy for me to forget to check my mail these days. The real mail that I am concerned about comes in minute to minute via E-mail. No surprises here for anyone who joined civilization at the later part of the 20th century, although I do miss the days of getting a hoards of birthday cards around my day in May, or from a Pen Pal---gosh! The younger generation likely doesn't even know what Pen Pals are. I just looked mine up on facebook, but alas, there are over 500 of her name that I would have to sift through to find her, if I even remember her name correctly, and who knows what she looks like after all these years.

I have to say, I am so thankful for my Dad whom continues to write me letters via what is now termed as 'snail mail,' giving it such a sad connotation. What is wrong with a snail, or being slow? Slow, maybe, but deliberate, yes. I noticed right away when I started using e-mail how it was and still is oh so difficult to truly understand what people want to say. Seems that most people know by now that all caps means they are shouting, but do to the immediate quality of e-mail, sometimes I truly do not take their meaning or sincerity in the correct direction, often quite the opposite.

As someone whom considers herself an environmentalist, I do see the advantage over e-mail as there is no paper involved, as long as they are not needlessly printed up. However, I have found it no longer exciting when I hear from long-lost friends, it's hard to really know how they are doing, or to learn anything new about them, or even try to understand them more. I used to enjoy so much stationary, the colors, the textures and the handwriting, when a pen would run out of ink, would they choose the same kind of pen, or pick a new one, whatever was closest? Some would write perfectly in a straight line across the page without lined papers, (I always admired this so much) others would purposely write in squiggles, or circles or zig-zags just to be cute, or thoughtful, or for me to know that they were having fun writing to me, and this was something special.

Writing letters is graceful, like a butterfly, one could sting like a bee if necessary, but this is best left to e-mails that can be deleted quickly and forgotten, faster than a letter in which one would have to burn or shred to get rid of. I suppose, I still have the option to be both, I prefer the idea of a butterfly more, but sometimes, I like to wear costumes

Questions I'm Asking....

Infinitely more important then the answers are the questions, the choice of them, the inner form of them. -Oswald Spengler

Containing Life in Perpetual Spring

The Steampunk movement is gaining momentum, again. It conjures up a fantasy life before and during the industrial revolution, or is it to hold on to a life that is rapidly being taken away from us?

At the SOFA show on Park Avenue, New York last weekend a few artists caught my eye, they all had a similar theme, and completely different and equally compelling work. As a process they contained items, or ideas of life, in the spirit of curiosities. Giving them new meaning to us today in what we call a modern world, the artifacts become new again.











Containing the idea of jelly fish in stained glass, as seen above, by Steffen Dam, is a breathtaking example of modern curiosities, actually creating the jellyfish in glass, it is only the idea of contained life, but the the reality of it.








Kurita Koichi of Japan is documenting soil before it changes, his process is documented on his blog listed below. The image of the Soil Library above does not justify the power that Koichi is able to express in 150 different bottles of soil, all of different colors, all from Japan. It brings up the question: How many colors can you find in your back yard, and how have the color mutitated over the years, and how much more will they change in your lifetime?















Even the art of photography is playing on what is and what won't be in our fragile environment, documenting places before they become extinct. As done so exquisitely by Jefferson Hayman, for example in the photo above, Airship over the Village, as many of his photographs, modern in location, or context, reminds us of a world that is left behind and slipping away from us as we forge forward on the communication highway tirelessly as we forget to see and appreciate our surroundings.

As I walked across Central Park and contemplated this need for containment, need for holding on to what is so quickly slipping out of our grasp, I noticed how strong and resilient the plants are after a rain in the spring, they flourish and grow, even become more themselves. Life changes so drastically from moment to moment. At once we are suddenly able to overcome unsurmountable odds, not only to move forward, but to become ourselves more.

The flowers don't need to be contained, they need sun and water and to grow without bounds. I am drawing this connection simply because of it's stark contrast, with how we are perceiving life and how nature continues with or with out us as we navigate the planet. It is my hope that we continue to cherish the things of nature that slip out of our grasp as the artists have done so beautifully above, I hope that we put protection on our skin while in the sun so that we as well won't slip from ourselves too quickly, but most of all I wish that we find in life the water and sun that nourishes us after a heavy rain that makes us want to come out and play and become more ourselves again, whatever that might be..

for more information on the artists:
Steffan Dam Stained Glass http://www.damogkarlslundglas.dk/showpage.aspx?sideid=1
Kurita Koichi Soil Library: http://soillog.exblog.jp/i6/
Jefferson Hayman photography: http://www.jeffersonhayman.com

The Blue Bag Project Part I

The Blue Rectangle Project

Stemming out of my desire to have communicative interactions with daily commuters on the Pulaski Bridge, that spans from Greenpoint, Brooklyn to Long Island City, Queens over the New Town Creek, I created the Blue Rectangles.

For years I have passed over this bridge and have seen under utilized garbage bag ties that make up random patterns all over the bridge. Over my years of living in this neighborhood garbage cans have replaced the garbage bags tied to the fence, however the ties remain.

Using the bright blue New York Times delivery bags, of which I have plenty, I created frames on the fence. They frame the Empire State Building, encouraging passers by to stop on their daily commute to enjoy not only color that is not usually there, but to look at the city with fresh eyes.

I encourage interaction with these rectangles and have made some with deliberate spaces in them, hoping that others will fill in the "Blanks" with their bags. It reminders us to take time out of each day to do something enjoyable, at the same time contemplating the amount of waste that we each produce and how to create a second life with what we have come to throw out.

One Week 100+ Furniture Ideas

That's right, maybe all are not stellar, but there it is 25 feet of Drawing, something to start a collection....

How's my chin doing?

It's week five of the second semester, I am busy at procrastinating my 100 furniture drawings due on Wednesday that I've started with a furry and bitting off more than I can chew by wanting to make and incredible presentation, and wow everyone in class.

I won't have the potential 10 pages in my sketch book that I desire, well, I already have a bunch, so it's OK,

I'm listening to DJ Spooky obsessively tell me that' it now approaching midnight, but it's just a song, of course it's not close to midnight... yet...however when I glance at the time on my computer, it's 11:28 p.m....since I've been up since 8 a.m., yes, DJ Spooky is spooky, right, it is now approaching midnight....

The photo attached was my self portrait on Friday on my way into Manhattan, me looking for ideas, visiting friends and walking for hours in the city that I love more than any other.

I had hoped that I might post more by now, but school is much different this year, we are working on longer projects, getting better results, there is still loads due each week, it's just different, and stress is there, it lingers, but has morphed, and continues to, I have become more reclusive, working from home more, trying to keep sane as the debt piles up, telling myself, yes, I believe in myself, and this is what I want.

Truthfully, I can hardly believe that I let myself do this, this amazing journey into myself, pushing myself beyond anything that I know and almost seeing myself change in the mirror every day, so, on Friday I needed to see for myself, How's my chin doing?

Thanks to all whom have been a great support this semester already, I should be posting some actual drawing and projects soon.

Favorites of 2007

Although it's already 2008, I am still compiling my favorites list of 2007, and since I have never done this before, I am allowing myself to be this late on the draw...

As an additional disclaimer, 2007 didn't always have something new for me to experience that hadn't been before, but simply allowed me time to find things, that I hadn't known existed before 2007.

In no particular order

Website: www.core77.com

Magazine: Ode Magazine: http://www.odemagazine.com

Jean: Raven Jeans (oh, so hard to find, and finance)

Blog: besides my own;): http://www.languagehat.com/ so much fun finding random appreciations for articles of clothing, such as hats.

Store: The Hat Shop, NYC A Must See http://www.thehatshopnyc.com/

Coolest New Store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn: Claank on Franklin Street http://www.claank.com/

Coolest not-as-new-store-in Greenpoint, Brooklyn: Altar http://www.alterbrooklyn.blogspot.com/

Coffee: French Italian Espresso made in a Bodum French Press, available at Porto Rico Importing: http://www.portorico.com/store/index.html

Restaurant: Dining was kept to a true minimum this year, so I'm staying with last year's favorite, assuming that it's still as good and cool as it was last year.
None other than Freeman's LES, NYC: http://www.freemansrestaurant.com/

Movie(s): OK, didn't see too many of these either, but Zwartboek aka Black Book starring Carice van Houtten and Sebastian Koch. Mr. Gorgeous Koch was also in Das Leben der Anderen, The Lives of Others, this movie really came out in 2006 in Germany, glad it made it to the US.

Documentary: The Cruise, Tim "Speed" Levitch, and his view of my favorite city.---a must see for any who have ever stepped foot in Manhattan. (1998)


Book: Planet of the Blind, by Stephen Kuusisto, published 1998
Color: Blue, please reference my Blog from November 19, 2007

Food: Guiltless Gourmet Blue Corn Chips, the only "junk" food I can eat in only 2 sittings.

Place for Brunch: Le Pain Quotidien, in ABC Carpet http://www.lepainquotidien.com/

Video Game, available for download: Crayon Physics http://www.kloonigames.com/blog/games/crayon/

That's all for now folks!

I'm on to it....

Because I have great friends who will keep me in check of world happenings, if I don't read about them myself, I was sent this around the holidays...Please see and reference my November 19th posting. Exciting!

I sent Ms. Mack an e-mail, it was easy enough to find her e-mail on the internet, haven't heard from her yet, I hope she won't mind I have put this here...

How about 'Blue Design' then?

Check out this article from the NY Times on design trends
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/garden/20over.html

this excerpt especially:

...Ms. Warner admitted to a kind of overall green ennui, an irritation
caused by what she called the "relentless greenwashing of products."

"People use the word like it's the low-carb label of the furniture
business, just slapping it on everything," she said. "A company says
it's 'green,' and then you ask about their manufacturing and they have
no idea."

Perhaps that is why Ann Mack, trend-spotter in chief for JWT, one of
the world's largest advertising agencies, has proclaimed blue to be
the new green in her list of 10 trends that will shape consumer
behavior in 2008.

"Blue is a state of mind," Ms. Mack said. "Environmentalism 2.0 is all
about the planet and water. Those are blue images. We're not saying
green is going away — it's just going to be a subset of blue. And also
there are negative connotations to green — all that greenwashing. I
think the word has lost a lot of its meaning."

Another coming trend pinpointed by Ms. Mack is about "commitment and
rethinking instant gratification."

"Because everything is so instantly attainable — you can get what you
want, when you want, wherever you want — there will be a premium
placed on waiting, on thinking twice before you click 'buy,'" she
said. "Custom-made and one-of-kind are rising above the mass-produced
din of 'now.'"