At an artist networking event I attended on the weekend I was reminded of a piece of work by Germaine Koh I encountered years ago called, Knitwork. It’s an on-going project she’s been doing since 1992 where she unravels used garments and then re-knits the yarn into one long continuous object.
I’m attracted to this idea of working on a project that grows over time. I’ve been thinking about my flowerbursts as something I want to keep working on and adding to over the long-term, and see where it could end up in two years, or even ten. To date there are about 180 of them, in three different colours. What if there were 500 of them?!
In some ways the flowerburst installation is like working on a quilt, or making a blanket from crocheted granny squares, because it’s also made up of small pieces that combine to become something larger. I like finding these similarities to textiles in my work, though the major difference is the installation doesn’t ever need to be finished and it doesn’t have a functional purpose.
I should look around for other artist projects that are long term in this way. It’s not something I’d seriously considered previously with my own work because I so often work towards a deadline or end goal.
I love your blog, Rachael. Every single post has something that makes me sit up and take notice. I too love the idea of a years-long project and I think your flowers are prime candidates for something of the sort. And I had to laugh at your “ugh” regarding discovering that your experimental succulents are “on-trend”: I feel the same way when I think I’ve inadvertently aligned with something trendy. And that giraffe and magnolia mural! Wow! This weekend I’m going to try to find it once my workshop at Maiwa ends. Thanks for all the lovely and beautiful things you make and find to share online.
Thank you so much, Anne. I’m happy to share what I see and inspire others. I hope you have an amazing time at the Maiwa workshop.
I’ve been trying to do more writing on my blog this year instead of mostly sharing photos. It helps me solidify some of the thoughts I’ve been having around my art practice.