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Flat Stanley visits Seat of Harmony
For details on this breaking news, visit my blog, bits & piecesFor more info on the loveseat, please scroll down this page....... |
"Seat of Harmony"
Loveseat for C'ville Arts
Started September 2007 - Completed December 2007
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| This is what it's all about! |
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The loveseat was created to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Transient Crafters, the artists’ cooperative which is now known as C’ville Arts. It is sculpted from polystyrene, and the surface was prepared with concrete and applied mosaic of glass and ceramic.
Artists from the cooperative contributed small personal objects, which were also incorporated into the design, representing the cooperative nature of their organization. I translated the five elements of Feng Shui (Water, Earth, Fire, Wood, and Metal) into symbols to form the basis of the design. Feng Shui can be described as the natural path with the least resistance. The practice of Feng Shui is about creating harmony within our environment.
The seat was installed on Friday, December 7, 2007, during the cooperative's 10th anniversary celebration. Photos from the celebration weekend can be seen at their Flickr site, http://flickr.com/cvillearts.
I documented development of the sculpture, with photos..
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I thought about this project for about a year. I wanted to create something for outside of the gallery that would attract attention to C'ville Arts' space. At first, I was thinking "bench". As we aproached the 10th anniversary of the cooperative, and the artists started talking about changing the name of the gallery, painting the building, making new signs, etc., and I watched an incredibly diverse group of artists come together and make good, solid decisions, I began thinking that a bench would just not cut it. It needed to be an old, comfy sofa, and it needed to say something about the cooperative nature of the group.
The beginning...
Sheets of foam insulation, purchased from Lowe's, were my material of choice. I then laminated them together to form two large block. Unfortunately, in my excitement to start carving, I completely forgot to take photographs of the blocks of foam & progress shots of the carving itself. The results of the carving are shown next.
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Above, the loveseat in raw foam. There was some bit of carving after this, but it was primarily refining the general form.
Below, this is after the first layer of mesh.
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Above: Two coats of mesh & concrete, and I'm ready to wrap it in plastic to let it cure for a while.
Below, gathering together my materials for the mosaic.
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The following photos were taken during and following the first two sessions of applying the mosaic.
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I was determined to finish the sun during this 3rd mosaic session, below.
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Below: Feng Shui symbols, produced on mesh
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Below are photos from the next two sessions. I let the piece sit for a couple of weeks before getting back to it, but I'm down to the wire now. I had asked the artists at the gallery to bring objects to include in the mosaic, so they could be a part of the project. You'll see diverse materials scattered throughout the piece, and those are their objects. Some of the artists work in glass, and so there are a number of fused glass pieces. Another artist works in pewter, and she provided me with the most wonderful dragonflies and cats. And a painter even provided me with tiny reproductions of her work under clear glass that I could place throughout the piece. If the artist's work wasn't appropriate for outdoor work, they brought me personal objects such as belt buckles and broaches. One of our potters, Barbara Albert, produces high-fire work & and she provided me with a box full of seconds that I cut up to use for the clouds. I also purchased letters from another potter and have inset them into the piece... the letters "cville arts" are placed between the rays of the sun.
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Below: November 30 session
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The all-nighter.... Dec 1 - 2
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At this point, I was staring my deadline head on, and I worked pretty-much non-stop, it seems. I had to stop applying mosaic to cut more glass several times, and then there was the issue of creating the security device for the sculpture. The photographs that follow are the last photos I took of the process. Aside from some last-minute cleanup work, I completed the project at midnight, December 6th, 8 1/2 hours before the piece was scheduled to be picked up for delivery at the gallery.
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9 hours and several cups of coffee later, the guys arrive to pick up the loveseat.
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Okay, we're back on track, and the guys load her up for the ride downtown. Following are photos of delivery & install.
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And then it was a matter of enjoying this old comfy sofa in her new home. The loveseat may be seen at the C'ville Arts Gallery, located at 118 E. Main Street in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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