Yarn Bombing

Per your suggestion I looked into Yarn bombing this week and had a lot of fun researching this fun field!

New York Times Article I found on Yarn Bombing: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/fashion/creating-graffiti-with-yarn.html

YARN BOMBING BLOG/WEBSITE

Art & Fear... Oh and Banksy....

I went downtown the other day and wandered for several hours around the community... my mind was full of interesting thoughts, correlations, ideas and inspirations on how I could creativity interact with my environment. I have always, since I was a little girl, been obsessed with locations rich in history, I love old buildings and the stories and memories they hold. Living in Arizona most of my life, you don't really run into a lot of that, most of the buildings you find there (unless you see some indian ruins) were built in the 70's or resemble more of a wild west movie prop at this point in their lives. So walking around downtown and in and amongst these old brick buildings that have been around for so much of America's history is just simply amazing to me. Because of this there is a strong part of my being that wants to interact creatively with these structures and become part of that history.

This is where the problem comes in.

I am, and always have been, terrified of getting in trouble. I think this may go back to the fact that growing up my father was a cop and a reservist in the military... I don't know. Or maybe it's just a moral sense of not wanting to alter something that doesn't belong to me, and what right to I have to do anything to something that isn't mine. Whatever the reason I just don't know that I have the temperament to make street art. Which saddens me, because I LOVE IT! It's so inspiring to me.

This past week I watched a really interesting documentary called "Exit Through The Gift Shop". Which was interesting/crazy on a few different levels but really introduced me to the real world life of street artists, especially Banksy. I love how directly he addresses cultural issues and really uses his art to bring awareness to areas that concern him.










This one just makes me smile:

Gateway

After taking a look at Partrick Dougherty's Stickworks a couple weeks ago I have been dying to try my hand at making some sort of stick structure. I knew it wouldn't be as easy or work as well, but the woods near our house are full of fallen branches and they were just laying there waiting to be used... so I snatched up as many as I could find and went to work.

I have always been a been fan of experiential works of art, and I love the fact that in land art, you never know who might stumble across what you've left behind. It is that person, that unknown discoverer of the work that fascinates me. What must they think they've found!?

I remember when I was a little girl and my sister and I would go exploring in the woods, anytime we discovered something that had been left behind (a tree fort, a campsite) there was always something so magical about it. Like we had entered another realm of reality created just for us.

In our community there are a lot of kids and I wanted to make a work that they could discover while playing and be able to experience that same magic my sister and I did as little girls. What story will they create around it? What myths will it hold for them? Where will they dream that it came from? I suppose in a way I wanted to be their own personal magic fairy bringing a little mystery and magic into their lives.

Moss Graffiti

In my internet wanderings I stumbled across this "recipe" for growing moss graffiti... I might have to try this out at some point!

Jim Denevan

I stumbled onto Jim's work this week and was mesmerized by his ENORMOUS works of earth drawings. They are so graceful and elegant!

Earth:

Sand:

Website: http://jimdenevan.com/

In my searching I stumbled upon this video as well which I found fascinating. Not only does Jim seem to do amazing artwork but he organizes/designs community dinners where diners have a meal presented by a local farm outside in a field. It is a really interesting way to utilize his talents.

Documentation

This week I decided to get to know my new world a little better by documenting the elements around me in a minimalist environment... it was an interesting way to examine the new world I have entered, almost like a scientist examining samples under a microscope.

Rainy Days

Patrick Dougherty

I was in awe of Patrick Dougherty's work the moment I stumbled onto it... I just love how playful and whimsical and imaginative his pieces are!















Website: http://www.stickwork.net/
Interview: http://109.200.27.43/magazine/arts/patrick-dougherty-stickwork

Gloomy Day

Coming from Arizona where we have almost 360 days of sunshine every year... it's been interesting getting used to so many gloomy days...

Gorilla Gardening

Inspired with my Gorilla Gardening idea, I went on the hunt for a little inspiration:

Green Beatle by Morten Flyverbom


Quai Branly Museum - Vertical Garden by Patrick Blanc


GROW By Anna Garforth "Moss typography adorns the wall of a secret spot I found in London behind locked gates, a disused plot awaiting the arrival of new flats. I thought I'd sneak in before the small wilderness got bull dozed."

I tried to look for something closer to what I was thinking of doing... but I couldn't really find anything. Most gorilla garden gin projects simply seen to be planting normal gardens, not necessarily creating works of art. I also couldn't find land artists that do that either... most of the "grown" land art I've found is either extremely large (as in weaving together trees and letting them grow to form structures) or is more landscaping in a way...

But I'll keep searching...

Exposing

Inspired last week by Richard Long, this week I set out on a walking adventure around my community, when I happened upon a section of land covered in fallen leaves I walked through and acidentally overturned some with my shoe. I was immediately struck by the deep rich soil hidden beneath the leaves and contrast between the dead fallen leaves and the rich and fertile soil below, just waiting to sprout up new life in the coming spring. This accent led to the following experiment in exposing:

A little bit of a tip of the hat to Richard Long :)







This project got me thinking.... since our class will take place over the course of spring. I am excited to experiment with gorilla gardening! I am going to go out into this same patch of land and strategically plant flower seeds, to hopefully document their growth into unexpected works of art!