Tent, 2016
I loved making cubby houses as a kid.
Couch cushions, fitted sheets, laundry horses, nothing was safe from my tiny construction site. I was also obsessed with using found materials, the ‘useful box’ from ABC’s Play School is probably the most influential TV segment on my life and it shaped my perception of garbage and art. It may have also contributed to my hoarding …
There’s something extremely satisfying about using what you have to create structures.
In this work I used found materials and second hand wool. The textile studio at VCA was in the process of being renovated and as a result the years of accumulated fabric scraps were free to anyone willing to give them a good home. Like a magpie in a tinfoil factory I descended, scooping up as many scraps as I could carry with an ‘ill figure it out later’ attitude and, as you might guess, that is the origin of this work.
With the Cubby House and Useful Box philosophies in mind I began to construct. I kept each piece of found fabric in its original state, finding ways to tessellate the interesting shapes. The 3D puzzle of fitting these pieces together while also trying to make a structure was extremely satisfying. I used a Savers pack of random coloured wool to stitch the pieces together, this felt aligned with Useful-Boxness and has the bonus of being environmentally conscious as all the wool was second hand. After I had finished sewing each piece together by hand I allowed the remaining thread to hang as part of the work, thereby wasting nothing.
The finished work is an eclectic mix of colours and textures that one can be immersed in. The light refracts through the different thicknesses of each fabric giving a soft glow on the interior. The windows of sheer fabric allow for interactions between those on the inside and outside of the work and this creates dynamic flow as people explore the structure.
In its essence this work is about play. Playing cubby houses as a kid, forcing those who come and see my work to play cubby houses as adults and living my childhood dream of being on Playschool.