Carpet Bombing

Detail of Jim Ricks’ Carpet Bombing. All images courtesy of the artist.

Detail of Jim Ricks’ Carpet Bombing. All images courtesy of the artist.

Carpets made in Afghanistan have a history of representing the imagery of war, but a recent work by artist Jim Ricks gives a conceptual perspective to this tradition. Carpet Bombing is a giant, handmade rug that depicts a “Drone Survival Guide” created by Amsterdam-based designer Ruben Pater. Pater’s diagram is a one-page illustration of various drone aircrafts, which references similar guides that were used to identify aircrafts in past wars. Ricks traveled to Afghanistan, where the drones on Pater’s survival guide are in use, to have a rug made by Kabul-based Haji Naseer and Sons Carpet Makers.

Carpet Bombing on display at Rue Red in Dublin. Photo: Andrew Hetherington.

Carpet Bombing on display at Rue Red in Dublin. Photo: Andrew Hetherington.

There’s more to Carpet Bombing than the illustration of a poignant pun, as Ricks tells The Creators Project, “I think there is a tendency to ‘read’ the carpet like a poster and stop there. What I think is important about the piece is that not only is the graphic appropriated, it is always shown horizontal and flat in the gallery, as a carpet should be, thus reversing the observer from drone back to human again, and that it can be sat or walked on, activating the work in the way that is in keeping with the Persian carpet as a social space.”

The Creators Project has the full story.

The Sioux Chef: An Indigenous Kitchen.

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I know I have been asking half the world of people lately, and yes, here I am again, asking. This too, is important. Chef Sean Sherman, Oglala Lakota from the Pine Ridge rez, wants to change a serious absence in the food scene. Where’s all the Indigenous food? Traditionally based indigenous food is delicious, healthy, and sustainable. This also marks a great potential for so many Indigenous kids, who are looking more and more to traditional foods, and would like to be able to earn a living cooking, doing what they love. The kickstarter for the restaurant is so close, so very close. If you have a few bucks, please become a backer in this most important venture. (Oh yeah, I’m a backer. I want travel over and eat, so gotta make this happen.)

There is a great deal of information at the site, so I’ll just include a bit here, but I’m putting up lots of photos of amazing, delicious food. Foooooooooood. If you haven’t eaten Indigenous food, seriously, you are so missing out. If we can get one Native restaurant up and running, others will happen. So please visit, and back if you can. If you can’t, please signal boost, spread the word everywhere!

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[Read more…]

Absolutely Amazing. Wow.

Kestrel is an incredibly talented and skilled artist, who not only makes full miniature tack, also makes jewelry, and braids horsehair. I have worked with human hair, exactly one time, embroidered a bit with it, and it is the devil to work with, to say the least. Everything Kestrel does is so beautiful and polished. Stunning work. Today is a look at some miniature tack.  Click for full size.

Bridle with romal reins, braided of hand cut kangaroo leather and thread, hand made sterling silver hardware. For a traditional sized model horse such as a Breyer. Horse is an artist’s resin sculpture by Carol Williams, painted by Liesl Dalpe, haired by Faye Cohen.

Bridle with romal reins, braided of hand cut kangaroo leather and thread, hand made sterling silver hardware. For a traditional sized model horse such as a Breyer. Horse is an artist’s resin sculpture by Carol Williams, painted by Liesl Dalpe, haired by Faye Cohen.

From the other side:

Bridle with romal reins, braided of hand cut kangaroo leather and thread, hand made sterling silver hardware. For a traditional sized model horse such as a Breyer. Horse is an artist’s resin sculpture by Carol Williams, painted by Liesl Dalpe, haired by Faye Cohen.

Bridle with romal reins, braided of hand cut kangaroo leather and thread, hand made sterling silver hardware. For a traditional sized model horse such as a Breyer. Horse is an artist’s resin sculpture by Carol Williams, painted by Liesl Dalpe, haired by Faye Cohen.

 

Detail of the floral-tooled popper and knots on the romal. Notice the knot tied inside the loop at the end of the romal.

Detail of the floral-tooled popper and knots on the romal. Notice the knot tied inside the loop at the end of the romal.

 

Detail of connection between romal and reins, again with a knot tied inside the loop at the connector.

Detail of connection between romal and reins, again with a knot tied inside the loop at the connector.

 

To show scale, in Kestrel's hand.

To show scale, in Kestrel’s hand.

You can see much more of Kestrel’s amazing work at Beautiful Horses, the horsehair braider.

Marcus Amerman.

Marcus Amerman's work recently appeared in an issue of Sports Illustrated - Courtesy photo.

Marcus Amerman’s work recently appeared in an issue of Sports Illustrated – Courtesy photo.

Marcus Amerman (Choctaw-Hopi) is a very well known artist in Indian Country, and he’s been commissioned to do a series of beaded portraits in a national media campaign to promote the American Indian College Fund. The originals will be auctioned at their next gala fundraiser. ICTMN has a great interview with Marcus.

Amerman: Wieden + Kennedy, an international ad firm with an office in Portland, OR, contacted me about doing beaded ads for the AICF. They send me photos of current students who benefit from the AICF and I choose which ones I want to do based on their potential visual impact and bead-ability. They would run as full page ads in a number of national magazines such as, but not limited to, Sports illustrated, Harper’s Bazaar, Native Peoples, etc. They have just finished shooting photos of current students in New Mexico and Montana. I should receive them in two weeks and begin the third in a series of five 6.5″ x 8″ portraits which are enlarged to a full page bleed (8″ x 10″). This first image is Akisa Milk and he’s Oglala Lakota from Pine Ridge, South Dakota. The AICF will retain possession of all the pieces and auction them off at their gala fundraiser, I believe. I don’t know when it is.

The ad firm gives me 4 weeks to complete a 6.5” x 8” portrait and I use that format all that time. I only work on one piece at a time because of the time it takes to configure the trays full of separated beads specific to each project.

Marcus Amerman - Courtesy Photo.

Marcus Amerman – Courtesy Photo.

Marcus is also busy making bracelets and other wondrous works for the Indian Market in Santa Fe. http://www.marcusamerman.com/

Full interview is at ICTMN.

Rolled Paper Ocean Reefs.

Absolutely stunning work.

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For artist Amy Genser, paper is pigment. The Connecticut-based artist cuts, rolls, and arranges countless tubes of mulberry paper mounted to Masonite boards to produce vibrant reef-like canvases. The tightly rolled papers perfectly mimc the forms of sea coral that appears to grow organically in every direction across (and on the sides of) each canvas.

You can see more of her recent work in her portfolio.

Via Colossal Art.

Gettin’ organized.

Okay, long hours of getting organized. Again. I had to take my old jeans organizer down, because rats. Yes, they discovered it and started using it as a climbing wall. Wheee! Not so whee for me. Got that back up, because now I can close the door, and the magical climbing wall goes away for the night. This holds only the thread I’m using for the Tree Quilt. The Peace Quilt thread is in a large container of its own; the rest of my embroidery thread is in a 6 drawer cart. So, on with the organization:

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Then it was time to sort through and organize all the vintage thread I’ve come across in thrift stores:

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Then I tackled the small bag of perle 3 from Kestrel. That contained 170 skeins. I’m going to need a lot more containers before I tackle the big bag.

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Click for full size. © C. Ford, all rights reserved.

Box of Joy, Part II.

From Marcus, resin-metal (stainless and nickel steel) wondrousness! (Yes, one of them is upside down, because it’s for adult eyes only.) They need a bit of polishing with steel wool, which is being lovingly done by Rick. The Buddha was first, and now has a place of honour on my desk shelves, because he just makes me happy. Thank you, Marcus!

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Box of Joy, Part 1.

I have received wondrous things! First, from Kestrel, an absolutely amazing amount of DMC Perle 3. I don’t use a lot of perle, because it’s more expensive, and what I do have is 5, which is considerably smaller. So, next major project will need to be Perle 3 based, I think. I have not yet pulled them all out, counted, sorted, or anything else. I’m still a bit busy picking my jaw up here. Thank you so much, Kestrel!

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The Vast Expanse of Ultra-light Mocha.

Started on the light mocha section of the background, and naturally, I don’t have near enough skeins of ultra-light mocha to finish. So, I’ll work on it until I run out, then do something else, I guess, until I can replenish my supply. Just checked, and found one more skein, so that makes 6 and a quarter skeins to burn right through. Current Hours: 948. Skeins used: 135.

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On Tattoos and Trademarks.

Butch Johnson, owner of Champion Tattoo Company, works on a former US Marine at his art studio in Washington, DC, on April 18, 2016. (AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski).

Butch Johnson, owner of Champion Tattoo Company, works on a former US Marine at his art studio in Washington, DC, on April 18, 2016. (AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski).

More than 20 percent of all Americans have at least one tattoo, and for millennials that number jumps to almost 40 percent. What could be more intimately a part of you than a work of body art permanently inked into your skin? You probably assume that the tattoo on your body belongs to you. But, in actuality, somebody else might own your tattoo. Recent lawsuits and events have shown that tattoo artists and companies can have intellectual property rights in tattoos worn by others, including both copyright and trademark rights.

Tattoo-related lawsuits are not uncommon. Just this year, a group of tattoo artists for several high-profile athletes, including Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, filed a copyright lawsuit against the creators of the popular NBA 2K video game franchise because tattoos they created appear in NBA 2K16. The case is still pending in a New York federal court.

[…]

And the issue isn’t limited to celebrities and athletes. For example, Sam Penix, a coffee shop owner living in New York, was threatened with a trademark infringement lawsuit in 2013 based on the “I [coffee cup] NY” tattoo he has across his fist. Penix’s shop logo featured his tattooed fist grabbing a coffee portafilter between the words “Everyman Espresso.” The New York State Department of Economic Development, which owns the “I ♥ NY” trademark, sent Penix a cease-and-desist letter because it believed the logo infringed its trademark. To avoid being sued, Penix agreed to several terms, including some restrictions on how his fist could (and could not) be photographed.

[…]

Until courts and legislators create innovative legal solutions, both tattoo artists and people with tattoos should consider copyright agreements that specifically outline who owns a resulting tattoo. People with trademark tattoos should be aware that displaying their tattoos visibly in commerce could lead to liability. Otherwise, tattooed skin may end up with several owners with competing interests – and even if you live within that skin, you may not own the art that adorns it.

I’ve been thinking about getting more ink. If I do, it will be the same as my existing ink – my own original art work.

The full article is at Raw Story.

Kumo!

Photo by Lorette Guillou, courtesy of La Machine.

Photo by Lorette Guillou, courtesy of La Machine.

Watching Kumo take to the streets is like the live-action version of a CGI flick: A giant alien spider lands in a historic city, its eight legs weaving around buildings as it spews venom into the crowds. Dreamt up by street theater company La Machine, Kumo has since toured Yokohama, Beijing, Reims, and Calais. Earlier this month, it was finally left to roam the French city of Nantes, where La Machine is based, and where the spider was “born” in 2009.

Kumo’s technical data sheet is staggering: At rest, it is 19′ high, but can attain a height of 43′ once it’s up and walking. When it rolls up into a ball for a nap, it measures 20′ in diameter. When it sprawls its legs out, that “legspan” grows to 65′. It can spit out venom (in reality, a fine water mist) and breathe out clouds of fog, all while regarding the crowd suspiciously with its moving eyes. A team of 35 to 40 people worked on its construction for nearly a year—first drafting it, then bringing it to life the 38-ton structure of wood and steel.

Photo by Lorette Guillou, courtesy of La Machine

Photo by Lorette Guillou, courtesy of La Machine.

“We wanted to use its eight legs to turn it into a dancer,” says François Delarozière, the founder and artistic director of La Machine. “This is why we made a base on wheels, so it could move quickly and have the ability to communicate, and be expressive, through movement.” During a performance, 16 people are required to activate the hydraulic and mechanical framework that helps Kumo walk through narrow city streets, wriggling around trees and lampposts. Most are seated aboard the giant, controlling the motion of its legs, eyes, head, and abdomen, and setting off the fog and water effects. Down on the ground, a conductor walks alongside Kumo and directs the whole theatrical team.

Original drawings for the giant spider, courtesy of La Machine.

Original drawings for the giant spider, courtesy of La Machine.

The Creators Project has the full story. After its show in Nantes this summer, Kumo is scheduled to take a rest. But next stop: Ottawa in 2017. To learn more about La Machine, click here.

On fuck ups and flexibility.

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Best laid plans and all that. The large section of background I’m currently working on, I had planned doing in light cocoa, and ultra light mocha. In a stroke of brilliant idiocy, I somehow managed to completely forget about the light cocoa thread when I stocked up on the colours needed for this bit of the tree quilt. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, I’d just get to Joann’s and get more, but I am dire broke, and will be that way for two weeks. Yes, I could work on another bit for two weeks, but I am motivated, right now, to get this section done. I have to go with these motivated moments, because if I stop working this section, it will just turn into a massive chore of tedium, and I’ll find reasons to put it off.

So, a change of plan. I had just enough light cocoa to tie it into the bottom section of light cocoa. As I have 7 skeins of medium cocoa, medium it is. It always pays to be flexible in the face of fuck-ups.